After its launch in 1972, Renault continued to build on the R5's capabilities. It was in March 1976 that the 5 Alpine saw the light of day at the Geneva Motor Show. After the modest sporty start with the 5 LS and TS, this one went all the way.
Photo: Ralf Driescher's Renault 5 Alpine looks like it came straight from the brochure. Just about every detail is correct, even the white fog lights that were fitted in Germany.
How does a German youngster end up in a Renault after getting his driving licence. Quite simply. Ralf Driescher's parents from Mönchengladbach drove a BMW, so young Ralf wanted a BMW too. An 1802 to be precise. But that was not to be. Because his parents' company, a body repair shop, ran a Renault 4, so it became an R4 for which his father paid the insurance and taxes.
Ralf: "I then made three cars into one good one. I enjoyed it a lot. With the 845 cc engine, I always drove at full throttle on the autobahn. Later, I bought a 4 Safari which I had an accident with. I repaired it in our own workshop. The company has existed since 1908 and was founded by my great-grandfather."
Photo: Typical features of the 5 Alpine include the fine carpeting, the bullet-shaped exterior mirror, the Moto-Lita steering wheel and the specific instrument cluster.
After the adventures with the Renault 4 came Ralf's first R5, a 1978 TL. And from then on, the R5 has been in his system. There are several in his workshop and garage at home. Among them a green one with an original roll-back roof, like his first 5.
Ralf: "In May 1981 came the first 5 Alpine, which was then more than two years old. It was a 5 Alpine Special specially made for the German market equipped with a rollbar and fire extinguisher. Effectively a street version of the cup cars of those years."
His current 5 Alpine is an early 1977 version that he swapped with a friend about six years ago. The latter preferred a cupcar that Ralf owned at the time. Ralf, on the other hand, preferred a street version. The car needed some patience, as in June 2019, the new owner started the restoration. There was a lot to do.
"I started blasting the bottom and engine compartment. Parts of the bottom and inner wings I welded in new. The front and rear wings were removed as well as part of the rear inner wings. The chassis rails also needed attention. Then I could start rebuilding everything with new front and rear wings, When the body was completely rust-free again, the whole thing went into primer and the body was painted in the in-house paint shop. That was at the end of July 2019. The new gloss black paint job followed before the end of that year."
Photo: The 1.4-litre engine coupled to a five-speed gearbox requires the necessary extra space in the front.
Then came the fun work for Ralf, getting the Alpine all dressed up again. In terms of parts, he had no problems. Over the years, he had already found many parts to add to his stock. For example, the 1.4-litre engine with five-speed gearbox was ready beforehand, a block that had only run about 20,000 km. By October 2020, it was running and well in his car. A nice detail, Ralf traded his 5 Alpine without a powertrain at the time.
Meanwhile, the interior was also fully under construction with new mats, neat door panels and an original rear seat. That, along with the seats, came again from a stock of parts taken from a 1977 5 Alpine he had previously owned. The back seat had the original red cloth upholstery. That was too worn on the front seats. A matching upholstery was sought. Ralf: "However, I was not satisfied with how the upholsterer fitted it to the seats. In the end, he started again three times before it was satisfactory."
Photo: He had the front seats reupholstered.
By the end of 2020, the car was completely finished and could hit the road with a classic license plate. Since then, Ralf has driven less than 500 kilometres in it.
What purists might immediately notice is that the fog lights in the front bumper do not have yellow glass. The white lights were standard for the cars delivered in Germany. When the press photos and brochures from the early days of the 5 Alpine are placed next to Ralf's car, it is clear that this car has been restored to the original in every detail. Ralf very deliberately chose Fergat steel wheels instead of the alloy ones that came as an option at the time.
The combination of black paint with red striping echoes in the interior where both colours also play the leading role, but in reverse order. Renault set a worthy successor to the 8 Gordini with the 5 Alpine, which was developed and built in Dieppe, as the 12 Gordini could not generate the same enthusiasm. Cup races were already being run with the 5 LS and 5 TS at the time of launch in March 1976, but with the Alpine, everything changed. And even though a version of the Renault 5 had already been presented to the press in 1972 with wide wings and the 1,565cc engine from the 12 Gordini, the decision was made to enlarge the existing Cléon engine to 1,397cc from the 5 TS, among others, and to fit it with a hemi-spherical cylinder head. Thanks in part to the double Weber 32 DIR carburettor, power increased noticeably to 93 hp. The engine was then mated to a five-speed manual gearbox borrowed again from the Renault 16 TX. Since this gearbox is longer than the standard four-speed box from a Renault 5, extra space had to be created at the front. That explains why the 5 Alpine's bumper was extended further forward. At the same time, it was fitted with an integrated spoiler surround at the bottom and made room for fog lights. For the first time, Renault 5 bumpers were black.
The striping on the flanks, bonnet and tailgate is a key identifying feature. Within a red frame is the inscription A5. Also, a nameplate on the tailgate. Things like the chrome strips around the roof and on the door sills were retained. Of course, the 5 Alpine had number plate lighting with integrated reversing lights, a rear window wiper and was the first R5 with opening rear side windows. On the driver's door, the Alpine wore a more streamlined wing mirror.
The power unit took up more space under the bonnet and, as a result, there was no longer room for the spare wheel. It wouldn’t fit under the floor of an R5 either, and so it lay neatly wrapped in a black cover on the boot floor neatly lashed down with a fabric strap. The boot also contained a white reservoir for the windscreen washer fluid. While on the inside of the lid was a cover to protect the wiper motor.
Photo: The spare wheel lies on the floor of the boot
Several elements made the interior look spectacular. The seats with open headrests were from the 5 TS and 12 TS. At the front and rear, the car had fine carpets in a matching colour. The door panels had storage compartments neatly placed under the armrests. This feature had been introduced on the 5 Alpine a month before the launch of the 5 GTL.
The dashboard was very similar to that of the 5 TS with a wide instrument panel and smooth surface. But the design of the clocks with blue accents was specific, moreover, the speedo went up to 180 km/h. The central console for installation of the radio was then already familiar from the 5 TS, which also got the door bins and opening side windows from the 1977 model year.
Photo: The 5 Alpine is the first from the Renault 5 series to have a rear window wiper.
Renault bought the three-spoke sports steering wheel with leather trim from Moto-Lita. It was compact and snug in the hand. The new gear knob was also covered in leather. Finally, the accelerator pedal was full length organ style..
Once seated behind the wheel, it is really noticeable how compact a Renault 5 is. With a turn of the ignition key to the left of the steering column, the 1.4 litre fires up smoothly. As soon as it starts, you can feel and especially hear that this engine has a lot more to offer than a standard R5. That is the advantage of more power at a modest weight of 850 kg. This is typically one of those cars that can keep up with today's traffic just fine, but needs to be steered along twisty back roads for optimum enjoyment. This is also when the changes to the suspension come into their own to the maximum extent. Among other things, the 5 Alpine is 4 centimetres closer to the road surface thanks in part to lower tyres. Due to the larger contact area with the road, the steering feels a bit heavier, but at the same time more direct. Moreover, the car has different shock absorbers and reinforced stabiliser bars. To match the improved performance, more powerful front calipers ensure decisively short braking distances. All these features make the Renault 5 Alpine a desirable car of which few remain in such original condition.
En détail...
Renault 5 Alpine (R1223)
Engine:
Type 840-25, 4 cylinder petrol, 8 valves, bore x stroke 76 x 77 mm, displacement 1,397 cc, compression ratio 10:1, carburettor Weber 32 DIR 58. Power 93 hp (DIN) at 6,400 rpm, torque 114 Nm at 4,000 rpm. Top speed 175 km/h.
Gearbox:
Type 385, manual with 5 forward and 1 reverse gears, fully synchronised. Gear ratios: 1st - 3.818, 2nd - 2.235, 3rd - 1.478, 4th - 1.036, 5th - 0.861, reverse - 3.083, final gear - 3.875.
Suspension: independent all round, front with longitudinal torsion bars and stabiliser bar (16 mm), rear transverse, back-to-back torsion bars (18.5 mm). Tyres: 155/70HR13. Brakes: front discs, rear drums.
Dimensions/weights:
Length 3.558 metres, width 1.525 metres, height 1.308 metres, wheelbase 2.412/2.442 metres. Front track width 1.294 metres, rear 1.270 metres. Weight: 850 kg, payload 400 kg, luggage volume 195 - 875 litres. Tank capacity 38 litres, cooling system 6.3 litres, oil sump 3 litres.