Complete Description
- 16th in the 1984 Tour de Corse with Pascal Thomasse!
- Only 4 owners, complemented by past documents and invoices
- Restored by racing driver Michel Crespel, who had been working on the car since 1985
- Rebuilt to its original specification and livery, with great attention to detail
Following the success of the compact R5 Alpine models, Renault felt compelled to introduce a product capable of winning the top spot in the most prestigious races. The integration of the turbocharger (already used by Renault in endurance racing and F1) into the modest Renault 5 combined with a mid-engine setup was the answer to this challenge. In 1980, the first R5 turbo homologated in Group 4 was driven by Jean Ragnotti in the Tour de France and the Tour de Corse. Following its success at the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally and in response to customer requests, Renault Sport decided to release a customer racing version of the R5 T.
As a tribute to Jean Ragnotti's 2nd place finish in the 1980 Rallye des Cevennes, this customer version was named ‘Cévennes’. It included numerous homologated options from the racing catalogue and was built in Dieppe, just like the ‘customer racing’ berlinetta cars which dominated national and international rallies. These cars were sold with a standard 160hp engine, but customers were able to purchase parts to increase the performance to 185 or 200hp with the turbo on the left, as well as 250hp with the turbo on the right (just like the factory cars). However, they could also fit and configure their own standard R5T with all racing parts available in the Renault Sport catalogue.
A first series of 12 ‘Cevennes customer racing cars’ were offered from June 1981 at a price of 197,000 francs, 80,000 more than the production car. Due to high demand, a second series of eight cars were built between February and March 1982, with a price tag of 215,000 francs!
The Renault 5 Turbo Cevennes were set to dominate rallying events in the hands of talented independent racing drivers. They were often upgraded to Tour de Corse (Group B) or even Maxi specifications and it is rare to find one in its original 1981/82 condition...
THE R5 TURBO ‘CEVENNES’ CHASSIS B0000568
This one was first registered on the 31st of March 1982, bearing the number 9972 RJ 50. It was intended for Pascal Thomasse, an exceptional independent driver from La Manche who took part in the entire R5T adventure, subsequently owning a Tour de Corse and finally one of the 10 registered Maxi 5 Turbo examples, a former Ragnotti car!
Is this one of eight official ‘Cevennes’ examples built between February and March? Four things support this theory:
1/ It was intended for Thomasse, a wealthy customer who wanted a good car.
2/ It was delivered at the end of March, around the same time as the last eight Cevennes cars.
3/ Like the Cevennes cars, B0000568 was never, seems to never had been undercoated as confirmed by Michel Crespel who has always known the car without undercoat
4/ It has the typical circuit breaker found in factory berlinetta cars, which the Dieppe racing department and Anthony's Renault Sport fitted to Turbo racing cars, including the Maxi; and in fact, all 20 ‘Cevennes’ examples were put together in Dieppe.
it is worth noting that while ‘Tour de Corse’ and ‘Maxi’ models had specific serial numbers, this was not the case for ‘Cevennes’ models, as their serial numbers were incorporated into R5T production cars; even Patrick Landon (Head of the Rally department) has no records for these 20 Cevennes examples.
Either way, Pascal Thomasse started racing his Turbo straight away: three races in 1982, twelve in 1983 and nine in 1984 - which resulted in 8 first places, 7 second places and 3 third places! In 1984, he took part in the World Championship at the Tour de Corse, finishing 16th overall, a strong result just behind Bartoli and his large and appropriately named R5T ‘Tour de Corse’.
He sold his ‘Cevennes’ in January 1985 to Daniel Dupas from Brittany and it was then registered as 1470 RU 56. Over four racing seasons, Dupas took part in 21 regional racing events, often finishing in the top ten. In the early 1990s, he sold the car to his co-driver Thierry Lepetit, who decided not to race it and kept it in its original condition. In 2003, the latter sold it directly to Michel Crespel, another well-known driver in the R5 Turbo world, who also owned one of the 20 genuine ‘Tour de Corse’ cars and who was already servicing B0000568 for Dupas at the Richard garage in La Baule. He registered it as 806 BMG 44 in 2005 and returned to racing in early 2010, upgrading the car to the Tour de Corse Group B specification, notably with a large front axle, a high performance engine with turbo fitted on the right side etc…. He entered the Tour de Corse Historique (9th and even 7th in 2010) in Sardinia and five times in the Morocco Historique, finishing 7th in 2016!
For this purpose, a full Kevlar skid plate was manufactured to protect the car underneath, which remained undamaged.
Michel Crespel then built a new Renault 5 Tour de Corse, in which he began racing in 2018.
Having preserved all original parts of his ‘little’ Cevennes (body and mechanical) he decided in 2018 to keep it and restore it completely, in order to bring it back into Group 4 in its 1984 Tour de Corse configuration. He was particularly fond of this car because he had prepared and serviced it since 1985, when it was raced by Daniel Dupas!
The chassis was stripped down and placed on the marble floor (where the geometry was perfect despite its racing life) in order to re-weld the dozens of Cevennes chassis reinforcements. Mechanical components are all race-specific: Renault Sport gearbox with a set of rally gears, ZF limited-slip differential, 9x35 torque, large 300hp clutch, Ferry engine with good piston and piston liners from the period, Ferry 21T1 camshaft, period SODEMO heat exchanger originating from Thomasse (its engine came from Sodemo, a well-known engine tuner at the time, as evidenced by invoices still included in the file), direct steering, Cevennes tubular upper and double lower wishbones, combined shock absorber springs, rare 13-inch Elia rims, standard brakes in accordance with homologation but with a large specific master cylinder, 100A alternator, new fuel pumps, original fuel tanks, etc. Two other points should be noted that make it very similar to a genuine Cevennes: the rare and specific co-driver footrest; and the fact that it has the quick jack anchor point underneath the chassis that was featured on factory models, the Tdc and the Maxi. Equipped with a period 10-point roll cage, Michel Crespel restored the car to its ‘Budget’ livery from the Thomasse era, as it closely matches specifications of those days.
As a car with an exceptional history, B0000568 can now compete in regularity events such as the Tour de Corse. However, in order to be eligible for VHC, it will be necessary to change the roll cage, fuel tanks, harnesses and seats in accordance with FIA homologation requirements.
This R5 Turbo ‘Cevennes’ is in very good condition, having been restored to a high standard by a great connoisseur using genuine Renault Sport parts. Naturally, it has an aluminium roof and windows, like the Turbo ‘1’. It has never been seriously damaged, which is exceptional for a Turbo; and it still has its original chassis and bodywork. The original chassis number is correct and barely visible due to wear and tear, so much so that after waiting 18 hours at Moroccan customs during its first rally in Morocco, the same number was placed in a more visible location to avoid spending another night at the customs office! The ‘little’ Cevennes is probably the easiest Turbo to drive, powerful (200-220 hp) but user-friendly, flexible and not as tricky as a standard Turbo thanks to its limited-slip differential, racing suspension and bodywork reinforcements that make it considerably stronger.
With this car, Renault Sport had achieved a balance that was perfectly suited to most enthusiasts who (without being called Ragnotti and not with the same resources as major racing teams) could shine in national and even international racing events: the racing track record of B0000568 is proof of this!
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Gilles Vallerian
Automotive historian
Expert for the CA of Aix en Provence
