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AN '87 RENAULT 5 WITH A TURBOCHARGED 3.2 VR6 QUATTRO SETUP? YES PLEASE!

Published: 2024-01-06 09:30:45 Last Updated: 2024-01-06 09:38:28

We’re massive fans of the weird and wonderful things in the aftermarket motoring world. It’s always cool to see left-field cars being modified, things that you don’t usually see. Everyone and their dog modifies Volkswagens and Audis, Fords and Opels, Toyotas and Nissans and so on and so forth. A modified Renault 5 isn't too common, especially here in SA where they were only sold briefly in the early 80s. It must have been the political situation because we never got any newer models of the 5 as Europe did. This here SXdrv scribe’s first car was a yellow Renault 5 with a normally aspirated 1.4-litre powerplant under the hood. It wasn’t fast, it was rather problematic and it was hard to work on, but it was mine and it was cool AF for that reason alone. The starter died one day and in an attempt to fix it, I found a bunch of weird braces and other components in the way, the only way to change the thing was to drop the motor. That never happened and so everywhere I went, I had my girlfriend and her friends on board as the mobile push-starter. The only other Renault 5 in the ‘hood was a mate’s sister's blue one that was in really good nick thanks to the family owning a panelbeating business. As far as modified ones go, I only ever saw one, and it was a rare GT Turbo version that had a few tweaks and an aftermarket management system. It wasn’t very neat and clean, but it was rare and that made it cool. If I wasn’t new to the working world at the time, I would have loved to clean my 5 up and modify it with inspiration from the ones I used to drool over in Max Power Magazine.

This one spotted as a feature on Officially Gassed hit with a rush of nostalgia, it’s brilliant. It could be neatened up a lot more, in fact, it deserves it because it’s just so damn cool. It’s a 1987 Renault 5 TC that started life as a base-spec 1.0-litre with a mad 31 kW and 63 Nm of torque on tap. To get the visuals better the 5 was given a full Dimma body kit, as seen in Max Power all those years ago, and some tasty wheels. The car belongs to Etem from EKS Tuning in the UK, and it’s his daily driver and a way to embarrass modified hot hatches when they roll up on him. The man is a fan of single-head 6-cylinder powerplants and one of the coolest out there is the 3.2 litre VR6 lump from an R32, so that’s what he shoehorned into his Renault 5. Not before adding boost though. There’s a well-hidden Pulsar 3584 RS turbo in the mix running on a bar boost with a charge cooler to cool the pressurised air, an air-to-air intercooler wouldn’t fit. Power on tap is more of a guestimate than anything else because Etem says the car hasn’t been on a dyno before, but knowing what power these motors make along with these mods, the output is claimed at 350 - 400 hp. Close to 300 kW on the big end - ten times the original power - which is great, especially in a compact hatchback that tips the scales at a mere 1,000 kg. To add to the insanity, Etem fitted a full Quattro all-wheel drive system with a 6-speed manual transmission from an S3, so all that power can be properly exploited. The AWD system is also switchable, the car runs in permanent front-wheel drive and an onboard bias controller can send all that power to the rear if needed. As far as weird engine swaps go, this is awesome!

Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off one of the weirdest and coolest engine swaps we've seen on a compact hatchback for a while. Making use of one of the most popular powerplants and a not-so-popular 80s hatchback has been done plenty, this one is just cool. It would have been a Max Power cover car one time, if the visuals were given a bit more attention: THE *QUATTRO 4WD* VR6 TURBO RENAULT 5 FROM HELL.. | OFFICIALLY GASSED - OG

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Article Tags: Officially Gassed SXdrv Renault 5 VR6 Turbocharged Engine Swap Quattro AWD Cars