Tuesday, October 4, 2011

What's the ultimate subcompact race car?

Whenever I think of a subcompact race car, the Renault Turbo 5 is the first thing that comes to mind. Designed for rally racing, the Turbo 5 wasn't necessarily the fastest car out there, but it was a small hatchback that did pretty well for itself. It featured a mid-mounted turbocharged engine making as much as 345 hp (in race form) to the rear wheels. I've always dug those fat rear fenders, wide rear tires, and '80s rally car style.

So what do you think the ultimate subcompact race car is (or was)?

5 comments:

nlpnt said...

It'd be stretching it to call the Turbo 5 a subcompact hatchback. It was really a two-seater coupe they forgot to design a body for.

What about the classic Mini Cooper 1275S from the '60s? Capable of showing a clean (or muddy) pair of taillights to anything from a DS to a 289 Falcon, but just as useful as a base Mini 850.

CGS cat back exhaust said...

Though it used a modified body from a standard Renault 5, and was badged a Renault 5, the mechanicals were radically different, the most obvious difference being rear-wheel drive instead of the normal version's front-wheel drive. At the time of its launch it was the most powerful production french car.

ISC Coilovers said...

Impressive! This car would be for someone who is looking for a good, solid, genuine example that would need very little money spent on to keep on the road for a good many years.

Andy Lilienthal said...

Classic MINI is another great one.

eTiMaGo said...

I grew up watching R5 Turbos and 205 Turbo 8's rallying, they hold a special place in my heart :)