Who said electric cars have to be boring?
It is certainly not the French company Renault, which has confirmed today that it will bring to market one of the most powerful electric vehicles we have ever seen.
The wild Renault 5 Turbo 3E – a battery-powered hot hatch inspired by the popular car of the eighties, the Renault 5 Turbo – will be in action, the company says.
However, it will not be available – or less.
Rather than a volume production run model, the R5 Turbo 3E is a limited edition, hand-built EV built in very small numbers that can cost well into the six figures.
Described by Renault as a ‘fantastic sports car with adrenalin on wheels’, it boasts 500bhp, an insane rear-wheel drive setup and a 0-to-62mph time of 3.5 seconds, fast enough to scare the most cars. .
An electric car even petrolheads will be happy with: Renault confirms its eighties-inspired 5 Turbo 3E hot hatch will go into production – but it could cost more than £100k
The hefty price tag is expected when you buy a hot hatchback decked out in carbon fiber.
Unlike the standard R5 EV, which has the choice of a 40kWh or 52kWh battery, and up to 150bhp, the Turbo 3E is significantly more powerful.
Renault says it will be more than three times more powerful thanks to a larger battery pack and two electric motors.
These rear-wheel drive electric motors deliver up to 500 horsepower to each individual wheel. From the looks of things, it looks like it’s quite a handful.
The large wheel arches, boxy features and compact dimensions are very similar to the 1980’s Renault 5 Turbo rally cars used in the 1980s (left)
The Renault 5 Turbo – or ‘R5’ – is one of the beloved cars of the formidable Group B generation, alongside the Audi Quattro, Lancia 037 and Delta S4, Peugeot 205 T16, Metro 6R4 and Ford RS200
The Renault 5 Turbo is still considered a rally icon. Here, French driver Paul Chieusse and his co-driver Fabienne Brunet de Bainne are seen competing in the Boucles Legend of Bastogne in Belgium in February 2016
Unlike the standard front-engined Renault 5 in the 1980s, the Turbo had a 1.4-liter petrol engine mounted behind the front seats. The new 5 Turbo 3E follows on from a completely different version of the R5 EV for more performance.
The French outfit is keeping quiet about the car’s specs for now, with no word yet on battery size or charging speed.
However, the charge port is mounted in one of the outer vents in a true connection to the fuel filler mounted on it.
From the first impressions, it seems that little will be brought from the £22,995 5 E-Tech. Not surprising, because the 5 Turbo 3E costs almost five times more.
It was a two-door model – unlike the four doors of the mainstream car – and took a lot of inspiration from the Renault 5 Turbo that was unveiled in 1980, including its narrow headlights (although this there is a headlight), a large air intake and a large front splitter.
Large, flared arches are joined by wide side skirts and a rear bumper that incorporates a large spoiler to give the 5 Turbo 3E one of the most aggressive stances we’ve seen from an electric car. .
No photos of the cabin have been requested by Renault, although we’re expecting two seats with an uncompromised interior.
Described by Renault as a ‘fantastic sports car with adrenalin on wheels’, it boasts 500bhp.
The car is equipped with electric power-in each of the rear wheels to carry the speed performance in each individual corner. Renault says it will do 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds
Large, flared arches are joined by wide side skirts and a rear bumper that incorporates a large spoiler to give the 5 Turbo 3E one of the most aggressive stances we’ve seen from an electric car. .
The new Renault 5 E-Tech (pictured) will be available in January priced from £22,995. The 5 Turbo 3E is in limited supply, as the bonkers hot hatch is hand-built in limited numbers and costs five times as much.
The car is built in-house by a team of experts in France, and in limited quantities. How many more has yet to be confirmed.
Although it’s billed as a 100 percent electric race car, it’s road-legal.
Renault described the 5 Turbo 3E as a ‘reinterpretation of the Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2, which combines top-of-the-class performance and dynamics with many references to the world of motor racing.
It continues: ‘The lace-up look and stripe are reminiscent of the previous colors of one of the versions that entered the fairs in the early 1980s.
‘A 100 percent electric racing car, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E takes advantage of its retro-futuristic design to include a new element such as a charge base in one of the rear vents, similar to the ‘ Original turbo. ‘.
‘Its carbon construction makes it flexible and extremely strong, a great combination for a ‘sporty bomber’ that lives up to its name and heritage.’
Customers can choose their own design, although most will carry important themes from the Renault 5 Turbo of the previous B group.
There’s no word on the price, but anyone interested in snapping one up will need at least £100,000 sitting around waiting to get into an account if they want to buy one. .
Why is the B group so popular?
Group B was a set of rules for entry in 1982 for the event that fielded some of the fastest, most powerful, lightest and fastest racing cars ever built.
The class was fiercely competitive, with the Audi Quattro, Lancia O37 and Peugeot 205 T16 winning WRC titles during Group B.
Although it did not win any championships, the Renault 5 Turbo won four races: the Monte-Carlo Championship in 1981, the French Tour de Corse in 1982 and 1985 and the Portuguese conference in 1986.
The Renault 5 Turbo failed to win the Group B title, but took four race wins between 1981 and 1986.
Group B is considered the golden age of the event, when fans flock to the events, stay as close to the action as possible, and continue to fly over the stages.
The combination of extreme force and a large number of people who stood on the road or in the road eventually led to a serious accident, some of which were fatal.
And after the deaths of three-time race winner Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto in the 1986 Tour de Corse, the FIA canceled the class.
The amazing sights and sounds from that early 80s era of the event – albeit short-lived – have earned it a cult following among motorcycle enthusiasts and oil majors alike.
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