Anyone alive in the US during the late 1970s and early 1980s has an image of the Renault LeCar burned into their cranial hippocampus like a tiny, French cattle brand. With three lugnuts to a wheel, and a full-sized sunroof, the cheap LeCar captured the imaginations of Liberal-elite college professors and fixed-income beach bums alike. France showered the states with those cars, like so many liters of Beaujolais Nouveaux, which we likewise drank up and spit out like the automotive swill they were. Of course, as is their wont, Renault mostly kept the best one to themselves.
The Renault 5 Turbo was introduced at the 1978 Paris Motor Show, and sported a tiny 1397cc motor that hammered out an unconscionable 160hp at 6000rpm, and 155 ft/lbs or torque at 3250rpm. Its rear-end was as wide as a bread truck's, incorporating twin air intakes to cool the mid-mounted engine, and it weighed only 2138lbs sopping wet. The 5 Turbo made its racing debut in 1979 on the Tour of Italy, and won the Monte Carlo rally in 1981 (edging out Herbie the Love Bug). The Turbo 2 was introduced in 1982, solidifying the 5's legacy for several more years, until it was discontinued in 1986.
Renault 5 Turbo: History [Renault]
Renault 5 [Renault Sport]
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