Rallying homologation has blessed us with cars that scream pure lunacy, and the Renault 5 Turbo has definitely earned tenure on that list. Imagine cutting up the engine on a front-drive hatch and plonking it behind the driver to spin the rear wheels in the name of rallying. Well, it appears they haven’t cleaned out the water cooler at Renault because the carmaker is putting a 500hp electric hatch – inspired by the 5 Turbo – into production, and it’s called the 5 Turbo 3E.
Renault’s been getting a little carried away with wild concepts that are quintessentially French. Don’t get us wrong, we’re loving it. Given the disenchanting state of the automotive world now, we could all use some quirky French flair in our cars. We just don’t like being teased.
But those lunatics in France are actually putting this electric rear-drive pocket rocket into production. Back in 2022, they gave us a concept with the same name. That looked like a restomod reimagining of the classis 5 Turbo, but this production version looks like a contemporary take on the hatch.
The 5 Turbo 3E will be based on the 5 EV that’s currently sold in Europe. It’s got the balance between retro and modern perfected, fitting like a glove into the modern EV design language found in the likes of the Giugiaro-inspired Hyundai Ioniq 5 and N Vision 74.
Like the original, the 5 Turbo 3E will be rear-drive, housing hub-mounted e-motors. Expect over 507 hp, quick enough for a century sprint in 3.5 seconds.
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Details on production quantity and pricing are still non-existent but we imagine it’ll be limited and priced about the market rate for an arm and leg.
Kudos to Renault for actually indicating they’ll put this crazy thing into production. We’ll be lucky to even get behind the wheel of one but the world’s a better place with a little French eccentricity in carmaking.
