Renault R5 Turbo 3E Is a Psychedelic Electrical Drifting Restomod

• The Renault R5 Turbo 3E makes use of the physique of the enduring Renault 5 Turbo from the Seventies and mates it with an electrical powertrain.
• The 42.0-kWh battery powers two electrical motors, with a complete output of 375 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.
• The physique work is wildly exaggerated with a towering rear wing and a snazzy yellow and purple livery.

Renault is poised to revive the 5 nameplate—which adorned the automaker’s bestseller within the Seventies and early Nineteen Eighties—on a brand new electrical hatchback due in 2024 and previewed by an idea proven in 2021. This 12 months additionally marks 5 a long time because the Renault 5’s introduction, and the French model celebrated earlier this 12 months with the quirky however trendy 5 Diamant idea. Now Renault gone even wilder with the R5 Turbo 3E, an electrical drift automotive that reimagines the enduring Renault 5 Turbo rally legend and takes inspiration from retro video video games.

The physique form of the Turbo 3E stays loyal to the unique 5 Turbo, however the particulars have been solely revised. The mesh facet air intakes are changed by a pair of NACA ducts that pop in a lurid shade of yellow, whereas a big rear wing sprouts from the hatch and a cavernous diffuser replaces the rear bumper. The headlights and taillights are swapped out for skinny LED strips, and 4 sq. pixel fog lights are mounted on the entrance bumper. The entrance finish additionally contains three rectangular yellow vents and purple tow hooks mounted above a protruding entrance splitter.

Regardless of the traditional squared-off bodywork, the Turbo 3E is all-electric beneath, with a 42-kWh lithium-ion battery feeding two electrical motors, every powering one rear wheel. Complete output is 375 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, permitting the psychedelic restomod to hit 62 mph in 3.5 seconds en path to a 124 mph high velocity based on Renault.

Based mostly round a tubular chassis with an FIA-approved roll cage and customary from carbon fiber, the R5 Turbo 3E weighs in at 2161 kilos, with 1146 kilos of that coming from the battery. Renault claims that the battery can present sufficient juice for “a number of laps,” however fails to specify whether or not these are laps round NASCAR’s half-mile Martinsville Speedway or the almost 13-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Together with observe driving, Renault envisions the Turbo 3E partaking in gymkhana, a time trial competitors involving drifting, leaping, and different rally-style maneuvers. The 3E comes with a drift mode, with the 62-mph dash lasting 3.9 seconds in that setting. The Turbo 3E’s trippy purple and highlighter yellow livery additionally appears clearly impressed by the drift machines that Ken Block used to make gymkhana common on YouTube. Renault definitely had web virality in thoughts when designing the Turbo 3E, becoming it with 10 mounting factors for cameras on the inside and exterior, and the LED lights flash whereas the automotive is drifting.

The inside is dotted with extra yellow and purple accents, and Renault labored with Sabelt on the carbon fiber bucket seats, security harnesses, and steering wheel. The handbrake lever stands tall, urging the driving force to induce a smokey drift, and the gauge cluster consists of 10 digital screens with video-game-inspired graphics. The ground is customary from black cork whereas the dashboard and door panels are draped in Alcantara. Renault additionally bizarrely features a teddy bear named “Drifty” within the cabin, ostensibly to “chill out and luxury passengers overwhelmed by the present automotive’s muscle.”

The R5 Turbo 3E will make its debut on the 2022 Chantilly Arts & Class competitors on September 25. In typical 2022 style, Renault may even problem a group of NFTs based mostly on the automobile, however we’re extra enthusiastic about hopefully seeing the R5 Turbo 3E burn giant portions of rubber within the close to future.