FAST FRENCH TAKE-AWAY (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY JONATHAN CROUCH

Introductionword count: 63

An affordable pocket rocket classic, the Renault 5 GT Turbo is one of the cheapest automotive ways of bringing a smile to your face this side of a go kart. Around £2,000 buys you a good one and for that, you get a car that will show most of today's hot hatches the way home round any country lane you care to name.

Modelsword count: 7

Models Covered: Three Door hatch: Turbo GT

Historyword count: 131

Back in July 1987 when Renault was looking to translate some of its Formula One success to its road cars, the little 5 Turbo GT was born. Instantly, it made obviously competitors - Ford's Escort XR3i, Vauxhall's Astra GTE and VW's Golf GTi - look pathetic in the performance stakes. From an engine of just 1.4-litres in size, Renault had managed to wring out an amazing 120bhp and in a car this light, that felt quick - very quick. There was a minor facelift a couple of years later and a special edition Raider model at the end with a fancy blue paintjob and an RDS stereo (it's worth no more) but otherwise, the car remained pretty much unchanged throughout its production life. Eventually, it was replaced by the Clio 16v.

What You Getword count: 54

A cheap but frantically fast runabout with Renault 5 practicality and ease of maintenance. The Turbo GT had genuine racing pedigree, endearing it to real enthusiasts - there was a successful racing series operated by the importers for the car for many years. Indeed, it is still enthusiastically raced up and down the country.

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