Renault 5
A pioneering supermini that became France's best-selling car.
The Renault 5, a supermini hatchback built by Renault, rolled out in two generations from 1972 to 1996. It came as a three- or five-door, seating five. The first generation, called the R5 or Le Car, ran from 1972 to 1985; the second, known as the Super 5 or Supercinq, lasted from 1984 to 1996. Both used a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, though the R5’s engine sat mid-front. In France, the Renault 5 was the top-selling car from 1972 through 1986, with over 5.5 million units built across 14 years—making it the country’s most popular car ever.
The R5’s design came from Michel Boué, who sketched it in his spare time. When Renault’s bosses saw his work, they greenlit a full development program. The car had a sharply sloping rear hatch. Boué wanted tail-lights running from the bumper up into the C-pillar, but they stayed at a conventional height. He died of cancer in late 1972, just months after the car’s launch. First images and details appeared on 10 December 1971, with a formal launch on 28 January 1972. It hit the UK market in autumn 1972, competing as a modern import against the Fiat 127, Mini, and Hillman Imp. The R5 narrowly lost the 1973 European Car of the Year award to the Audi 80.
Mechanically, the R5 borrowed from the Renault 4: a longitudinally mounted front engine, front-wheel drive, and torsion bar suspension. Its OHV engines matched those in the Renault 4 and Renault 8. At launch, buyers could choose 782 cc or 956 cc versions. A 1,289 cc engine from the Renault 12 joined in April 1974. Entry-level models got a bump to 845 cc in 1976, and later top versions used a 1,397 cc unit. The body used a monocoque structure—floor sections welded to other panels—cutting weight but requiring new production methods, unlike the separate platform of the Renault 4 and 6.
The R5 was an early modern supermini, building on the hatchback layout Renault pioneered with the 1961 Renault 4 and expanded in the 1965 Renault 16. It arrived a year after the Datsun 100A in the UK and alongside the early Fiat 127, but three years before the Volkswagen Polo and Vauxhall Chevette, and four years before the Ford Fiesta. The Austin Metro didn’t appear until 1980. The Honda Civic launched six months later, in July 1972, and the Toyota Starlet a year after that.
Sales in Japan began in 1976, with two- and four-door models sold at Capital Car Dealerships.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- Renault
- Production
- 1972–1996
- Class
- Supermini (B)
- Successor
- Renault Clio / Renault Twingo
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The first images and details of the Renault 5 were published on 10 December 1971, and the car's formal launch followed on 28 January 1972. It was styled by Michel Boué, who designed the car in his spare time. When Renault executives learned of Boué's work, they were so impressed that they immediately authorized a formal development program. The R5 featured a steeply sloping rear hatchback. Boué had wanted the tail-lights to go all the way up from the bumper into the C-pillar, but the lights remained at a more conventional level. Boué died of cancer at the end of 1972, just a few months after the car he designed was launched.
The R5 borrowed mechanicals from the successful Renault 4, using a longitudinally-mounted engine driving the front wheels with torsion bar suspension. OHV engines were the same as the Renault 4 and larger Renault 8. At launch, 782 cc and 956 cc versions were available. A 1,289 cc engine from the Renault 12 was added from April 1974. The R5 was one of the first modern superminis, capitalizing on the new hatchback layout pioneered on the Renault 4. It was launched a year after the Datsun 100A arrived in the UK, and after the initial booted fastback version of the Fiat 127. However, it was launched three years before the Volkswagen Polo and Vauxhall Chevette, and four years before the Ford Fiesta.
The Renault 5 was targeted at cost-conscious customers. The entry-level 'L' version included the same 782 cc engine as the Renault 4 and drum brakes on all four wheels. In 1972, it was priced in France at below 10,000 francs. The early production R5 used a dashboard-mounted gearshift like the Renault 4, replaced by a floor-mounted lever in 1973. An automatic version with the larger 1,289 cc engine was added in early 1978. The R5 was one of the first cars produced with plastic (polyester and fiberglass) bumpers, which covered a larger area of potential contact and survived low-speed parking shunts without permanently distorting. The R5's engine was set well back in the engine bay behind the gearbox. The passenger compartment was remarkably spacious. The Renault 5 body's drag coefficient was only 0.37.
Reader's Guide
The Renault 5 was one of the first modern superminis, capitalizing on the new hatchback layout that Renault had pioneered on its 1961 Renault 4 and expanded to its mid-range Renault 16 of 1965. It was launched a year after the Datsun 100A arrived in the UK, and after the initial booted fastback version of the Fiat 127. However, it was launched three years before the Volkswagen Polo and Vauxhall Chevette, and four years before the Ford Fiesta – new superminis that met the growing demand for this type of car in Western Europe. British Leyland was working on a new modern supermini during the 1970s, but the end product – the Austin Metro – was not launched until 1980. It was also introduced six months before the Honda Civic, which appeared later in July 1972, and one year before the Toyota Starlet.
The Renault 5 Alpine was one of the first 'hot hatches' launched in 1976 – two months before the original Volkswagen Golf GTi. The right-hand drive 5 Alpine was shown at the British Motor Show in 1978, with sales from 4 April 1979 in the UK – but as the Renault 5 Gordini, because Chrysler Europe already had the rights to the name 'Alpine' in the UK. The 1.4 L (1397 cc) OHV engine, mated to a five-speed gearbox, was based on the Renault 'Sierra' pushrod engine, but having a crossflow cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers and developed 93 PS, twice as much as a standard 1.1 L Renault 5.
The Renault 5 became the best-selling car in France from 1972 until 1986, with total production exceeding 5.5 million over 14 years, making it France's most popular car. It was marketed in the United States and Canada as Le Car from 1976 until 1983. A four-door saloon variant, the Renault 7, was manufactured from 1974 until 1984 in Spain by Renault's subsidiary FASA-Renault and exported to select markets.
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