A very special collectors car from the golden era of French Touring Cars. One of only three 'Superproduction' versions of the Renault 5 Turbo ever produced by the factory, 'Ch 3-86', was the actual car used on the Championship-clinching drive by Erik Comas on 25/10/1987 at Pau-Arno.
In 1985, Renault selected six brand-new production Renault 5 Turbos to act as donor cars for production-class racing in the French Supertouring Championship. Whilst these cars saw initial success, Renault were determined to win outright in 1987 so, late in 1986, three of the six cars were chosen and heavily re-prepared for the 1987 season to be driven by Frenchmen Jean-Louis Bousquet, Jean Ragnotti and Erik Comas.
These three ‘Superproduction’ models were fitted with roll cages by Matter, while chassis development was carried out by technicians at Sonica, who lowered the ride height, widened the track and developed the suspension so that the cars were close to the regulation limit. Renault F3 engine specialists, Sodemo Moteurs, produced a stroked 1419cc version of the R5T engine (nominally 1397cc), Sodemo and SYTEL used their own ECU, ignition and fuel injection systems, designing a new custom inlet manifold for the purpose, and with a wild new camshaft and a new Garret T4/T3 turbocharger with tri-lobe shaft and titanium internals, this particular engine produced 410bhp at 7000rpm using 3.2 bar of boost transmitted to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.
Renault achieved their aim and Erik Comas won the title in 1987. Renault has confirmed that this very car, 'Ch #3-86', was the actual car used on the championship-clinching drive by Comas on 25/10/1987 at Pau-Arno.
Finished in its period-correct and eye-catching blue and red Philips racing livery, the car carries number 25 on the white lower side panels and a host of period sponsorship decals. The most recent service was carried out in 2020 by the Intersport Race Team, comprising mainly routine maintenance to preserve its competitive readiness and mechanical integrity. ‘#3-86’ was recently demonstrated at the ‘Secret Meet’ event at Silverstone and there is a video of this available for interested parties.
This Renault 5 Turbo ‘Superproduction’ represents an exceptionally rare and historically significant French Touring Car, combining dramatic widebody styling, a powerful Sodemo Motors turbocharged engine, and proven period racing pedigree. Offered in its original championship-winning livery, it would make a highly collectable centrepiece for any motorsport collection and is capable of serving as a dynamic and capable entrant for significant Motorsport shows and demonstrations around the world.
