50 years Renault R5: The little friend

by time news

V50 years ago, the German automotive market was completely different than it is today. Although the car was preparing to arrive in the middle of society, after all, more than 2.1 million were newly registered, but owning a vehicle was still something special and the choice of models was much smaller. The German manufacturers in particular no longer had any real small cars in their range, the 1950s with the Goggo and the Messerschmitt cabin scooter were long gone. The four meter short NSU Prinz 4 was nearing its end, the Opel Kadett was now 4.18 meters long. The man from Bochum started in 1962 with a height of 3.92 meters.

This gap, which was later to be closed by the Audi 50 and then the VW Polo, was traditionally filled by the foreign manufacturers. The Fiat 500 was already an old hand, the Renault R4 too, the Fiat 127 and the Renault R5 were new, which despite the higher number with a length of 3.51 meters was slightly smaller than the boxy and just as unforgettable R4, which was already best sellers since 1961. The R5, which made its debut in the spring of 1972, was quickly nicknamed “The Little Friend”. Its compact shape with the large tailgate, the trendy colors and the large plastic surfaces as a bumper was and is simply likeable, and the tiny car quickly established itself on the market. It quickly became a style icon, as early as 1973 Renault sold more than 25,800 units in Germany, and it was to remain more or less at this level over all the long years of its existence. The record year was 1988 with almost 33,000 new registrations, and it only went down sharply in the 1990s. Sales of the R5 were discontinued in 1996. For comparison: in 2021, the electric Zoe was the best-selling Renault in Germany. With 24,000 units.

But back to the year 1972. It was a time of unbroken optimism. The Concorde flies supersonic, the hovercraft hovers over the water, moon landings are nothing special anymore, and everything seems possible. Germany is looking forward to the Olympic Games in Munich in September. The small colorful Renault fits perfectly into the time. The front-wheel drive car with its small four-cylinder petrol engine with a displacement of 0.8 or just under one liter perfectly fulfills the desire for basic mobility. 34 or 44 hp must suffice.

Sparse and clear: the dashboard





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50 years Renault R5
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From 1972 to today

The R5 was a miracle of space, offered space for four people and still had a 215-liter trunk. The back seat could be folded down, so even a washing machine could be transported. From today’s perspective, the fact that there were only two doors was a disadvantage; back then, it didn’t bother anyone. The first R5 arrived in Germany in late summer. In a first major driving report on November 23, this reaction was quite enthusiastic about the new small car and nevertheless summed up that the “nice” car still needed some facelift before it became a comfortable small car. The biggest point of criticism was the 44 hp engine, which was much too loud, but which was flexible and economical. Thrifty? 9.2 liters of average consumption, it had to be premium gasoline, were simply accepted. The oil crisis was yet to come. The price at that time was 6870 marks. A VW Beetle was already available from 5390 marks, the strong 1300 with 44 instead of 34 hp was at 6690 marks at the price level of the R5 described, which had the same performance. This enabled acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just under 20 seconds and a top speed of just 140 km/h. Such values ​​were standard at the time, the 1300 Beetle capitulated at 127 km/h.

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