Compromised Internals

Overview Specs Highlights Characteristics

Overview

Renault's Type 822 project turned the front-drive mass-market Renault 5 into an exotic mid-engined rear-drive homologation road car. Dieppe/Alpine and Heuliez participated in shell modifications, while Renault Sport engineered the competition programme. Renault's own 32-page historical dossier is especially valuable because it documents original Turbo, Turbo 2, Cévennes, Tour de Corse customer and Maxi racing configurations separately.

The original 1,397 cc R8220 road Turbo was rated 160 hp at 6,000 rpm. Renault launched the cheaper Turbo 2 in late 1982, retaining the core mechanical layout but substituting less costly interior and panel components and increasing the model's reference mass by roughly 30 kg. FIA Group B Turbo 2 form 234 took effect in January 1983, listing an adjusted 1,956 cc engine class for the real 1,397 cc unit. That figure is not proof of a 2.0-litre production engine.

Ragnotti and Jean-Marc Andrié won the 1981 Monte Carlo in the Renault 5 Turbo and the 1982 Tour de Corse in Group 4. Renault's 1985 Maxi 5 Turbo had a larger 1,527 cc engine and roughly 350 hp factory works rating. Ragnotti won the 1985 Tour de Corse in a Maxi, not in a showroom Turbo 2 or the earlier 1981 specification; Renault's 2025 retrospective independently confirms that victory.

Technical Specs & Innovations

Original engineering programme: Renault project 822, original road Turbo R8220
Family architecture: Rear-mid-engine steel monocoque with significantly altered bodywork and rear-wheel drive
Road engine volume: 1,397 cc inline-four petrol engine in original Turbo/Turbo 2
Original road engine reference: 160 hp at 6,000 rpm in Renault's own R8220 technical sheet
Original road torque: 21.4 mkg at 3,250 rpm per Renault's historic dossier
Original engine bore/stroke: 76 × 77 mm in manufacturer production reference
Valve gear: Pushrod/side camshaft production-family head; the 1.4-litre engine was not a 16-valve DOHC 205 T16
Turbocharger: Garrett T3 exhaust-driven turbocharger in original road and customer kit variants
Fuel delivery: Bosch K-Jetronic injection on original road reference; competition variants used tuned fuel systems
Original road mass: 970 kg reference for 5 Turbo R8220, not 1985 Maxi competition weight
Original road clutch: Twin-disc clutch in Renault's technical specification
Original road gearbox: Five-speed rear-drive gearbox
Original road suspension: Independent double-wishbone front and rear layout with torsion bars, dampers and anti-roll control
Original road brakes: Ventilated discs on front and rear, non-works specification
Original body construction: Heuliez modified the body; aluminium door and roof panels on early model, with polyester wings/bonnet
Turbo 2 production shift: Introduced in 1982 for model year 1983 with simplified interior and cost-reduced shell components
Turbo 2 mass shift: Manufacturer says approximately 30 kg heavier than original reference Turbo
Turbo 2 production count: Renault historic booklet reports 3,167 Turbo 2 road cars from 1982 to 1986
Group 4 competition programme: Cévennes customer rally kits and the early 1981/1982 works Group 4 cars
Cévennes client car: 1981 customer programme, about 185 PS in a period kit reference and 925 kg; varies with upgrades
Tour de Corse customer build: 1983 Group B client specification, Renault quotes 240–285 CV and around 930 kg
FIA Group B homologation: Turbo 2 form 234 effective 2 January 1983
FIA turbo-equivalent capacity: 1,956 cc listed for 1,397 cc Group B Turbo 2 after period 1.4 coefficient
Group B larger-road-engine form: Renault 5 Turbo 1,436.2 cc Group B form 267 effective December 1984, a distinct homologation
Maxi 5 Turbo displacement: 1,527 cc four-cylinder on Renault's 1985 competition reference
Maxi 5 Turbo works power: About 350 hp with turbo, manufacturer 1985 technical card
Maxi works mass: 905 kg in Renault historic dossier, not road Turbo 2's mass
Maxi production scale: Renault booklet documents 20 Maxi competition examples; separate from thousands of Turbo 2 road cars
Maxi gearbox: Five-speed rally gear set and competition suspension/brake aero changes
Driving-axle boundary: All described original 5 Turbo/Maxi versions rear-wheel drive; none is an AWD Group B T16 or Renault 5 GT Turbo front-driver
Rally class boundary: 1981/82 victories in Group 4, then Group B homologation and Maxi win in 1985

🏆 Competitive Highlights

1980 prototype campaign: Ragnotti and Jean-Marc Andrié contested French and international events while Renault Sport developed the mid-engine R5.
1981 Monte Carlo Rally: Jean Ragnotti/Jean-Marc Andrié won outright in a Renault 5 Turbo Group 4 car.
1981 Cévennes client model: Renault began selling turnkey/customer kit Group 4 configurations, separate from 160-hp road Turbos.
1982 Tour de Corse: Ragnotti and Andrié won outright again, with Bruno Saby fifth in another 5 Turbo.
Late 1982 introduction: Renault launched road Turbo 2 at the Paris Motor Show; the FIA Group B Turbo 2 homologation came in January 1983.
1983 Tour de Corse customer car: Special Renault 5 Turbo Tour de Corse kit/cars debuted under Group B technical rules, not identical to the 1982 Group 4 winner.
1984 Maxi engineering: Renault prepared a widened-engine Group B 1,527 cc Maxi development for its final major asphalt campaign.
1985 Tour de Corse: Jean Ragnotti won outright in a Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, beating the debut Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 2 of Bruno Saby.
1985 group B context: The Maxi's tarmac win was a major result for rear-wheel drive, but Renault did not win the WRC manufacturers' or drivers' championships.
Post-1986 period: Historic motorsport and one-make circuits continued the model story beyond the works Group B WRC era.

Driving Characteristics

Putting the engine behind the seats with drive to the rear wheels gave the Turbo a rearward mass distribution, short thrust path and powerful traction potential on clean tarmac. A narrow front-tyre footprint, large rear tyres and boost delivery shaped rotation under braking, while throttle timing was critical on corner exits.

The later Maxi used more power, revised wider aero and chassis hardware and a 1,527 cc engine; its competitive advantage on Corsican tarmac cannot be inferred from the road Turbo 2's 160-hp equipment.

Renault's own dossier describes double-wishbone suspension and major shell changes. As with other Group B cars, confidence and precision depended on stage width, tyres, differential setup and whether the engine was the original 1.4-litre or 1985 Maxi.

Development & legacy

The 5 Turbo's separate 1981 and 1982 Group 4 wins and 1985 Maxi Group B win show a decade of distinctive French rear-drive design. Accurate provenance requires explicit road-versus-rally technical separation and respect for the different FIA homologations, rather than treating Turbo, Turbo 2 and Maxi as one specification.

Research sources & verification

← Previous Car Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 / Evo 2

Back to Cars Index

Subaru RX Turbo Next Car →

Renault 5 Turbo / Turbo 2

Development & legacy

Research sources & verification