News hardware Renault’s crazy new electric car shakes up a brand classic

Renault is already warming up for the Paris Motor Show! The show, which will be held from October 17 to 23 in Paris, has many surprises in store for us.. But we have to believe that on the side of the French manufacturer, the time is not for relaxation. Indeed, the group has just presented its new R5 Turbo 3E, an electric prototype that revisits the mythical diamond sports car.

This announcement is in no way surprising, since it follows the manufacturer’s current desire to transform the most emblematic models in its history by giving them a new electric version. We already know that Renault will have a new zero-emission R5 – which should also be presented at the Mondial. Since the fans got wind of this desire, many demanded the creation of a sports car derived from this new model. With the R5 Turbo 3E, the diamond therefore responds in the best possible way to their expectations.

Renault 5 Turbo 3E: exuberance in an electric car

To use the words of the French manufacturer, this car is “a spectacular show car, 100% electric and dedicated to drifting”. As a tribute, it is therefore logical that this Renault 5 Turbo 3E takes up much of the style popularized by the previous Turbo models. What surprises us the most is this totally crazy spoiler that takes up almost the entire rear of the vehicle. Suffice to say that with that, this R5 should have no problem holding the road.

Photo credit: Renault Group

In terms of performance, the diamond was strong, very strong! Although this vehicle is electric, Renault has chosen to go in an original direction by moving towards drifting. In other words, this R5 is here to skid as much as possible. All of this is made possible by the two electric motors (one per rear wheel) 380 horsepower with a torque of 700 Nm.

The R5 Turbo 3E combines both ultra-tech design and assumed exuberance with numerous references to the world of motor racing and video games. This association propels the show car into modernity and technology, on the border between the real and the virtual. This pure electric “drifteuse” demonstrates that electric can also be fun with incredible performance! – Gilles Vidal, Renault Design Director.

Difficult to contradict him, since on paper, the electric car is capable of reaching 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds. Nevertheless, since this R5 is a “drifteuse”, the maximum speed is limited to 200 km/h. Keeping performance in mind, Renault has also opted for a 42 kWh battery which saves a lot of weight.

Renault 5 Turbo 3E: a mix between video games and nostalgia

As Gilles Vidal explains, the design and development of this R5 Turbo 3E are intimately linked to video games. And when you see her look, it’s hard to say otherwise. Its shapes and flashy decoration are clearly inspired by the video game world. To tell you, we have the impression of being faced with a tuned car straight out of Forza Horizon or Need for Speed. Next to that, Renault also specifies that this R5 will have the right to its own NFT collection – we have no additional information on this subject.

Photo credit: Renault Group

It is therefore a journey between authenticity and novelty that awaits us with this R5 Turbo 3E, since this model pays direct homage to the legendary R5 Turbo and Turbo 2 which are just two of the models most appreciated by diamond fans. As we explained to you above, this is not the only nostalgic vehicle that the brand is ready to exhibit.

Since Luca de Meo became the CEO of Renault, the company has made it clear that it must play with nostalgia to relaunch the machine with the electric boom.. Even if it’s only a concept car, this R5 Turbo 3E has something to cheer up diamond fans who have been hoping for a long time to see a sports car capable of combining performance, nostalgia and modernity. With the Paris Motor Show getting closer, there is no doubt that we should see a string of announcements from manufacturers in the coming weeks..