Designed by Michael Boue, who was a car designer in his spare time, Renault were so impressed with Boue’s work that they immediately authorized a development program and work began on the Renault 5. This was designed to be one of the first modern supermini’s which would feature Renault’s patented hatchback design, as used on the Renault 16 in 1965.
On the mechanical side of things, the first 5 was quite similar in design to the popular Renault 4, which used a longitudinally mounted engine driving the front wheels with torsion bar suspension. The engine choices, as this was a city car, were quite small to make the car economical and affordable to the cost conscious customers it would be aimed at.
At the launch, the first option was the 782cc and the 956cc which depended on your price budget. To keep up with the modern day traffic, after a few years the engine size was increased to 1108cc and 1289cc and then finally the 1397cc, which eventually had the Garrett T3 turbo charger bolted to it, but that's another story. This one however is the much more economical 1108cc.
This 1984 Renault 5 GTL was purchased by the seller on 20th February 2021. With a passion for anything French the idea was to use the car as a daily driver. With a Peugeot project on the go alongside a Three wheel Morgan (purchased as a bag of parts), this has meant that the little Renault 5 has drawn the short straw, as a cash injection into the projects is needed.
The 5 GTL is quite amazing with the amount of history that comes with it. Even though it has very little mileage on, there is a huge amount of invoices, from having a bulb fitted to new suspension and best of all, the work has always been carried out by the same garage. The seller even contacted the garage, who remembered the car well and offered to service it for free for old times sake. (Please don’t assume this offer still stands when you buy the car).
The V5 is present and shows 5 previous keepers. There is currently MOT on the car which is valid until 22 March 2022. It's worth pointing out the car has completed just 2,200 miles since 2005.
The paperwork file is, as already mentioned, amazing. The owners handbook and service book are present with service stamps, and then there's approximately 20 or so receipts from the same garage for MOT’s and work carried out.
Topping this off is a little pocket book which has the date written inside, every time fuel was put into the car and how much. PAPER.jpeg4.78 MB
The Interior
Inside, the 1984 Renault 5 GTL is in a nice and original condition. As you open the door you will see the door cards on either side are in excellent condition with no damage. The Renault 5 GTL model came with carpet to the front and not so luxurious rubber matting to the rear, which is all in excellent order. The seats are quite typical from any Renault of this age, the foam has started to deteriorate, which has left the material a little loose in places. The driver's seat does have some wear to the bolster.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, the steering wheel is original and shows no real signs of wear and the dashboard is free from any splits or cracks. The instruments and switchgear is all working as it should and the odometer is showing a reading of 26,424. The only thing that doesn't work is the clock. Just down from the clock and nice to see is that the car still retains the original radio.
The headlining is in excellent condition with no sagging to be seen. The rear seat has again suffered from the material coming away from the foam, leaving it loose. The quarter panels are excellent. Also fitted are rear seatbelts. The opening rear quarter windows open and close as they should with a good seal. The boot area is again nice and tidy with the original rubber mat to protect the floor. Under the mat there are no signs of any rust and it is in brilliant condition.
Finished in Bordeaux 721, the 1984 Renault 5 is in a well presented, original condition with no signs of having any paint work carried out that we could see. Starting at the front and the bumper on the five has faded slightly. This is quite typical of any car of this age with certain types of plastic bumpers and trim. The chrome plastic strips on the grille do have some water ingress on them and the ends of the top half have broken off. The headlights and indicators have no cracks and there are just a few age-related stone chips to the leading edge of the bonnet. The bonnet aligns nice and straight with the wing edges and opens and closes correctly. Around the windscreen there is a chrome trim which has discoloured, the screen is the original.
Around to the sides of the city car and it’s nice and straight with no obvious dinks from car park injuries, the doors align straight and even. There is a plastic surround missing from the passenger door that holds the button steady, but this still works as it should. The plastic side trims again have faded slightly. Just like the screen, the glass to the side is all original, with no obvious scratches. On the nearside there has been a repair to the outer sill at some point, this has been welded and painted to protect it.
To the rear, the hatch aligns up straight with an even panel gap, the number plate is the original Premier dealer one from new. The rear light clusters and number plate/reverse lights are free from any cracks. There is a small scuff on the fog light but this doesn't affect it. The wheels on the five are steel and finished in silver and these are in good condition with no signs of any rust. The tyres are quite old and have started to perish a little, but did go through the MOT with no advisories.
Powering the supermini along is an 1108cc 4-cylinder petrol engine with the transmission being a 5-speed manual gearbox. The 5 starts up straight away with no hesitation, it ticks over nice and quiet, with no noises that shouldn't be there when revved.
The engine bay is well presented with no signs of any leaks that we could see. Under the bonnet you will find the spare wheel. This has been used at some point but still has plenty of tread remaining.
The seller reports that the car drives lovely and changes through the gears nice and smoothly, with no untoward noises coming from the transmission. On the road, the suspension is typical of a Renault 5 which soaks up any uneven ground with ease. The car also comes to a halt nice and straight. MECHANIC.jpeg4.63 MB
The Appeal
Launched as a modern supermini, the Renault 5 is roomy, comfortable and economical, making it perfect for a reliable daily driver around town, whilst still large enough for some passengers and luggage.
A genuine low mileage example with bags of history, that has had whatever it needed and by the looks of the paperwork always completed by the same garage for even the smallest of jobs.
An odd couple of bits of trim to sort and you could have a lovely little French classic.
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