Photo: Despite its basic equipment level, the Renault 5 C looks very much like many other variants.

What's not on it won't break. You still hear that sometimes in the car world especially in the year 2023, when modern cars run on computers full of functions that nobody really needs. There are hardly any basic models left.

Things were different in 1984 when Renault presented the new R5, the Supercinq, at the Paris Motor Show at the end of that year. It was a model that, although some of the design details were reminiscent of its predecessor, was essentially completely new. The fact that the engines were placed transversely in front was enough to suggest a completely new design.

Shortly after its introduction the entry-level model was the Renault 5 C. In terms of equipment, it matched the 5 L, while technically it was identical to the 5 TC. The engine was the familiar 956cc 4-cylinder Cléon, which as already mentioned had been rotated by a quarter turn in the engine compartment compared to the first Renault 5. An output of 42 hp seemed extremely modest, but the car weighed less than 700 kg. For people who never drove on the motorway this entry-level engine was just fine.

Renault mated the power source to a four-speed manual gearbox. The top speed was 137 km/h, while acceleration to 100 km/h took an acceptable 19.3 seconds.

On the outside, the Renault 5 C was immediately recognisable by the nameplate on the tailgate and the absence of reversing lights on the right-hand rear light unit. Otherwise the exterior was similar to that of the TC, TL and GTL. That means wide bumpers along the bottom of the body and neat wheel covers, which were fitted up to the GTS and automatic.

Opening one of the doors reveals a simple but well-appointed interior. In this case, the furniture is upholstered in a grey fabric with a rice grain print being a rather thin quality of fabric that is practically untouched in this car. This is definitely unique. Both seats are adjustable forwards and backwards, but the backs are fixed. Of course, the rear seat only folds down completely, but that is enough to take advantage of the practical possibilities.

Photos: The upholstery is simple and of poor quality.

The carpets in the boot are simple and not of the high pile quality of more expensive models. The C lacks rear window heating, a key-lockable fuel filler cap, a driver's door bin, a digital clock, a trip meter, a brake pad wear indicator and an illuminated lighter in the ashtray.

Up to the TL there is a large panel of indicator lights at the bottom of the instrument cluster and a tachometer up to 160 km/h. The more expensive versions have a different unit with more gauges in the middle and a tachometer that goes up to 180 km/h.

An amusing detail, also found on a Renault 9 C, is that the interior mirror does not have an anti-glare mode and comes directly from the Renault 4.

Photo: The 956 cc Cléon engine.

In 1986, it was a free choice for many motorists to have a radio fitted. Those who bought a Renault 5 up to the TL had to have an aerial fitted. The hole with the cover was prepared.

Owner Kristof Thorez from Tessenderlo (B) has a penchant for bare-bones versions. "I used to have an Opel Kadett C and now I also have a Ford Escort 1.3 C estate. I bought the Renault 5 in 2011 from its first owner, Virginia Baerts from Halen in Limburg. She had driven it only 52,700 kilometres since 6 June 1986. It was her second and last car after a Volkswagen Beetle. She never drove it in the salt water and preferred not to drive it in the rain”. This explains the excellent condition of virtually everything. Paint, interior, wheels, even the tyres are original.

Photo: The interior mirror comes from the Renault 4.

Kristof only drives his Supercinq about 500 kilometres a year and never on short trips. "It was mainly the condition of the car that made me decide to buy it. If it had been any other make and model in such a unique condition, I would have bought it also”.

At first, the Renault 5 C needed some attention from its brand-new second owner. "They were all typical problems, due to the fact that the car had been driven so little. It started with the alternator, then the water pump, and in 2016 I replaced everything related to the ignition. Since then the car has been quite reliable”.

When Kristof takes the Renault out for a drive from time to time, he realises that the engine takes a while to warm up and only then it does run really well.

Kristof: "I was born in 1978, so I grew up in the 1980s. I still remember when the Renault Supercinq was launched. Even then, I found it strange that most versions only had a reverse light on one side. I thought the car was out of balance. So I like this 5C better without those lights. But that's a detail".

Renault built the 5 C and L exclusively as three-door cars, possibly also in the Société van version for some countries. While the L was available immediately in 1984, the C appeared a few months later, but lasted longer until May 1987, while the 5 L was discontinued after the 1986 model year.

Kristof's car is painted in Donau 453. A colour that was available from the 1986 model year. The range of colours varied with the model year. Grège 159 and Grenade 761 (metallic) disappeared after 1985. Sable 155 replaced the former, while Silver Grey (620) became the only metallic colour.

En détail..

Renault 5 C 1986 (C40 004)

Engine:

Type C1C-A700, 4 cylinders in line, capacity 956 cc, bore x stroke 65 x 72 mm, compression ratio 9.75:1. Single Zenith 32 IF2 carburettor, power 42 hp (DIN) at 5,750 rpm, torque 63 Nm (DIN) at 3,000 rpm. 12-volt electrical system.

Gearbox:

Type JB 4, 4-speed, fully synchronised. Gear ratios 1st - 3.727, 2nd - 2.053, 3rd - 1.320, 4th - 0.903, reverse 3.545. Tyres: 145/70 R 13S front and rear, spare wheel under luggage compartment floor. Suspension: Mac Pherson front, coil springs, hydraulic dampers. Rear: Transverse torsion bars, hydraulic dampers, anti-roll bar.

Dimensions:

Length 3,591 mm, width 1,584 mm, height 1,389 mm (unladen), wheelbase 2,407 mm, track width (front/rear) 1,323/1,292 mm, turning circle 9.80 m (between curbs). Fuel tank capacity 43 litres, luggage compartment 233 litres. Curb weight 696 kg.