Compromised Internals

Overview Specs Highlights Characteristics

Overview

The Renault 5 GT Turbo (Supercinq, C405) was a front-engine, front-wheel-drive turbocharged hatchback, not the radically different mid-engine, rear-drive Renault 5 Turbo / Maxi 5 Turbo of early Group B fame. It used the compact, pushrod four-cylinder Cléon-Fonte/C-type engine with a turbocharger, modified for Group A or more production-based Group N rallying.

Although introduced in the mid-1980s, its record belongs in the 1990s archive because production-class champion Alain Oreille continued competing successfully in the car in 1990. The extraordinary 1989 Ivory Coast overall victory should be credited to its original year rather than transferred into the 1990 season.

Technical Specs & Innovations

Competition category: FIA Group A and Group N, production-derived front-drive hot hatch.
FIA homologation: 5262 Renault 5 GT Turbo C405, original Group A and N homologation effective 2 April 1985.
Engine family: Renault Cléon-Fonte / C1J-family turbocharged inline-four, front-transverse, cast-iron block, OHV pushrod valvetrain.
Physical engine size: Common production specification approximately 1,397 cc; homologation C405 references 1,401 cc after FIA documentation corrections.
FIA corrected/equivalent displacement: The FIA Group N document shows 1,401 × 1.4 = 1,961.4 cc, an era-specific turbo equivalence for classification; the car did not have a 1,961 cc physically swept engine.
Turbocharger: Garrett-equipped single-turbo production-derived engine; rally Group N configuration subject to its homologation rules.
Production power: Renault GT Turbo road Phase 2 commonly listed around 120 PS; this is not a verified dyno reading for Oreille's 1990 Group N competition chassis.
Transmission: Front-wheel drive, road-derived five-speed manual; Group A homologation permitted transmission/ratio extensions and rally builds varied.
Group A extensions: The FIA lists engine/turbo, gearbox, suspension, brake and steering extensions through 1992; these are not universal Group N permitted modifications.
Group N philosophy: Production-category rally preparation restricted mechanical changes relative to Group A; safety cage, seats, harnesses and approved wheels/tyres were still essential.
Documented 1990 car: The surviving Oreille/Roissard Ivory Coast 1990 Renault 5 GT Turbo retains a Matter roll cage, competition seats/harnesses and scrutineering markings according to a detailed provenance record.
FIA Group N minimum weight: An original FIA N-5262 form lists 775 kg minimum for its specified homologation configuration, not a verified weighbridge mass for all rally entries.
Body and suspension: Three-door steel Supercinq monocoque, MacPherson-type front suspension and compact rear axle, with period homologated suspension/brake options.
Road layout contrast: The Group B Renault 5 Turbo's 1.4-litre engine was mid-mounted with rear-wheel drive, unlike this front-engine front-drive GT Turbo.
Prepared power caution: No one works horsepower or brake/gearbox specification describes every Group A and Group N GT Turbo raced from 1985 to 1992.

Homologation trap: FIA's 1,961 cc figure for Renault 5 GT Turbo C405 is the turbo equivalence class based on 1,401 cc, not a physical two-litre engine. The familiar 1,397 cc road figure and period FIA amendment require context.

Historic result distinction: Oreille's 1989 Ivory Coast result was an outright WRC round victory in a Group N car; his 1990 Ivory Coast drive was second overall and first in Group N. They are not the same result.

🏆 Competitive Highlights

1989 Monte Carlo, Tour de Corse and Sanremo: Alain Oreille and Gilles Thimonier recorded significant Group N victories in the Renault 5 GT Turbo, contributing to the year's FIA production-car cup.
1989 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire (Bandama): Alain Oreille / Gilles Thimonier won overall in their Group N Renault 5 GT Turbo, ahead of turbo and four-wheel-drive rivals. The official classification shows an advantage of 3 hours 3 minutes 56 seconds over Patrick Tauziac's second-placed Mitsubishi Starion.
1989 FIA production car cup: Alain Oreille won the production-car drivers' classification; it was not the open WRC drivers' championship.
1990 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire: Alain Oreille / Michel Roissard finished second overall and won Group N, behind Patrick Tauziac/Claude Papin's Mitsubishi Galant VR-4. The surviving actual Renault chassis is documented by its later historical sale.
1990 FIA production car cup: Oreille secured a second consecutive production-car cup with the GT Turbo, distinct from the outright world drivers' title.
Early 1990s national rallying: Renault 5 GT Turbo cars continued in local and production classes as the Clio gradually became Renault's modern rally platform.

Driving Characteristics

The light front-drive body could be quick over technical sealed-road stages, but turbo lag, a relatively small-capacity pushrod engine and traction through the steered front wheels demanded accurate gear choices and careful accelerator use. In Group N, reliability and consistency mattered enormously.

The gruelling 1989–90 Ivory Coast results demonstrate the benefit of robust production-derived machinery on an endurance-heavy WRC event, rather than suggesting the GT Turbo was necessarily faster over every individual stage than the Group A competitors.

Development & legacy

The GT Turbo's historical record is exceptional: Oreille's 1989 outright world-championship rally victory in a Group N car remains a rare benchmark, while his 1990 runner-up finish and production title demonstrate continued competitiveness. Distinguishing the Supercinq GT Turbo from the mid-engined Renault 5 Turbo prevents one of the most common model-name errors in rally histories.

Research sources & verification

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