Extreme Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be built! Limited production run for 500bhp, rear-drive EV

Renault has announced it will put the wild 5 Turbo 3E into production – but rather than turn it into a high-performance variant of the modern R5, instead it will offer a limited-run, hand-built, roadgoing version of the concept itself with a price likely to be well into six figures.

Fashioned mostly from carbon fibre, the retro-inspired body will pack a bespoke electric powertrain that’s completely different to that of the standard Renault 5. This is down to the use of a rear-drive layout, with the back axle incorporating two in-wheel electric motors that produce a total of 500bhp. 

Not only does this reference the original R5 Turbo’s rear-drive layout, it should also unlock supercar levels of performance, with Renault quoting a 0-62mph time of just 3.5 seconds. There’s no word yet on the size or capacity of the battery pack, but the charge port will be mounted inside one of the external air scoops; a nod to the original’s scoop-mounted fuel filler. 

While we’ll have to wait a little longer to see the car in the metal, Renault has issued a collection of images that reveals the wild styling. The body is totally unique to the Turbo 3E, and features just two doors. The front is directly inspired by the original, with miniaturised LED lights sat above a big air intake and lower splitter. 

5

The bonnet has been aggressively chopped into, while hugely flared arches are designed specifically to be filled by big new wheels and tyres. The extrovert styling continues along the side skirts and rear bumper, where the classic body shape incorporates the new series production Renault 5’s rear lights. 

At the rear, the diffuser’s eccentric shape and size is accentuated by a comparatively small and restrained wing. No other technical details have been officially revealed, and nor has the interior, but expect this to be a two-seater as per the original. 

Renault will build the car in-house, with a specialist team being selected in France to put the limited number of units together, and a price point expected to sit in excess of £100,000. While there will be a range of base liveries and colour schemes available, the personalisation potential of the new model could essentially be unlimited.

And while this new model might seem to conflict with the French company’s strategy to make Alpine its main high-performance sub-brand, it also suggests that the notion of a focused model wearing Renault badging is far from dead. Long live the rear-drive hot hatchback.

Click here for our list of the best performance cars...