The Renault performance car has had a long history of more than a century in the field of automotive and motorsport. Renault has produced several impressive racing and road car models from early racing cars to powerful turbocharged cars, they have impressed racing fans and car enthusiasts.
The brand has also made lots of success in Formula 1, rally competitions and endurance racing. Such as the famed Renault 8 Gordini, Renault 5 Turbo, and Alpine A110, the company melded speed, engineering, and innovation. Here are 25 of Renault's best sports cars and the highlights of their career.
Iconic Renault Performance Cars That Made History
Here are iconic models that showcase the brand's speed, engineering, and racing success.
Renault Type K (1902)
In the first years of his car company, it seemed that Louis Renault relied on motorsport for his main marketing efforts. But by 1902, the competition started to heat up and the cars got better and better.
So, Renault dodged horse when the race had a DeDion-Bouton powerplant, and the redesigned Type K used a new all-Renault four-cylinder powerplant with 24bhp. The new Type K used its new engine and won the esteemed 1902 Paris-Vienna race, garnering more than 800 miles (1300 km) at an average speed of 39mph (62.5km/h).
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Renault 40 CV (1926)
Renault built the 40CV, a high-society car, at the dawn of the 20th century; it was shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1910 and became available from 1922-28, epitomizing the golden age of European motoring.
Some versions of the 40CV featured a 9.0 litre engine and topped 2500kg and nearly 5-metres in length. Not exactly the perfect foundation for a performance car, then. Yes, the 40CV did, rather remarkably, prove successful in motorsport. It managed to bring a victory for Renault at the 1925 Monte Carlo rally, and a heavily modified 1926-version 'NM' (above) set a number of speed records in period.
Renault Dauphine Gordini (1961)
In 1955, Renault – now halfway to their current reputation – dropped their best selling car, the 4CV, for a new model the Dauphine. But after a string of rally wins in 1956, Renault felt inspired to make a quicker one. After the engineers developed the model in 1961, Renault finally released the Dauphine Gordini.
Roughly, the 'performance' version didn't have that much of a performance - 0-62 mph/100 km/h 27 seconds - but nonetheless, this was the first with a famous 'Gordini' name. However, the most desirable version is the 1093, a homologation special offering 55bhp, and only 2140 examples were made.
Renault 8 Gordini (1964)
Renault's following entrant to take on the 'Gordini' moniker was the modest 8. It is perhaps the best-known car to wear the name today, still admired for its distinctive set of twin white stripes and bizarre quad-headlamp layout. Quite a step up from the Dauphine was the R8 Gordini.
Engineers based it on the same engine layout as the Dauphine with the rear mounted engine and rear wheel drive, but the R8 'Gorde' produced 95bhp compared to the Renault 8. In 1966, Renault updated it with a 1.3 litre engine and five speed gear boxes to reach 108mph (175km/h), which was a pretty good number back in 1966.
Alpine A110 (1973)
Once you ignore the pre-release Renault badge, the second-generation Alpine A110 from 1973-78 actually represents the second coming of this understated sports car. So important was the A110 to Alpine's fortunes, indeed, that 1973 was the year an Alpine A110 won the very first FIA World Rally Championship, edging Porsche and Lancia for the prize. The tiny A110 produced a 140bhp four-cylinder, which was pretty feeble compared to its opposition but, at just over 700kg wet with its tiny 'Berlinette' fiberglass body, the A110 was an absolute weapon.
Renault-Alpine A442B (1978)
Another vitally important car, the A442B won Renault the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With Alpine, the A442B competed in the Prototypes World Championship of 1975, but its finest hour was still to come, when it conquered La Sarthe in 1978. Mayhem in the driving seat from Didier Peroni and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud saw the 500bhp six-cylinder scream to 220mph (360km/h) down the Mulsanne Straight, before they waved the chequered flag a lap ahead of the local crowd.
Renault RS10 (1979)
In the 1979 Formula 1 World Championship, Renault broke new ground by winning the first ever turbocharged F1 race with the RS10. Teams had never treated turbo chargers seriously in the sport up until this point due to problems with reliability, but the RS10's first win kickstarted a whole new era.
The success in question came at the 1979 French Grand Prix, where Jean-Pierre Jabouille drove the 530bhp RS10, pole-sitter and winner, with teammate Rene Arnoux completing the podium in third.
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Renault 5 Turbo (1980)
Such turbocharged success in motorsport, it was never going to be long before a Renault Road car welcomed the turbo. The obscure 18 Turbo a 110bhp saloon was the first Renault road car to feature a turbo. However, the car that came after became an automotive legend. Back in 1980, Renault decided their best-selling family hatchback – the R5 – needed a 160bhp mid-mounted turbocharged four-pot, some crazy wide rear arches, and a super-hero spec red and blue interior.
They met with pretty much universal approval and so, lo and behold, the R5 Turbo was born. What followed became literally legendary: I mean fire-breathing rally cars up to 350bhp and terrifying road cars, both of which are extremely valuable and desirable today, as well as the subsequent R5 Turbo II, which was no slouch either.
FAQs
1. What are some of Renault's greatest performance cars?
Some famous Renault performance cars include the Renault 8 Gordini, Renault 5 Turbo, Alpine A110, Renault RS10, and Renault-Alpine A442B.
2. Which Renault car became famous in rally racing?
The Alpine A110 became famous for its rally success. It helped Alpine win the first FIA World Rally Championship in 1973.
3. What made the Renault 5 Turbo special?
The Renault 5 Turbo featured a mid-mounted turbocharged engine, wide rear arches, and impressive performance. It became an iconic rally and road car.
4. Did Renault achieve success in Formula 1?
Yes, Renault made Formula 1 history in 1979 when its RS10 won the French Grand Prix, becoming the first turbocharged car to win an F1 race.
5. What is the Renault Gordini known for?
Renault Gordini models are known for their sporty engineering, racing-inspired performance, distinctive styling, and success in motorsport.
