Renault 5 Turbo 3E is a 380PS electric drift car

Debuting at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance 2022 contest on 25^th September, this Cyberpunk-esque retro-futuristic Renault 5 combines the classic silhouette of Renault’s immortal homologation special, with a Need for Speed-style bodykit including a massive wing, aggressive side inlets, exaggerated arches and a gurning snout. At the back, we see two enormous venturis blooming out from the underbody aero. In fact, Renault’s chief designer for concept cars Sandeep Bhambra, describes the R5 Turbo 3E as “a work of art with exaggerated lines, inspired by the videogame universe

The Renault 5 EV still looks like great fun

Powering the Turbo 3E are two electric motors, sending power exclusively to the rear, while the 42kWh battery sits in the middle under the floor. All in, it has 380PS (280kW) and 700Nm (516lb ft) of torque. Underpinning the car is a tubular chassis, with an FIA-approved roll bar setup and flat base. The bodywork, as you’ve probably already guessed, is all carbon fibre.

While your car’s driving modes consist of ‘Normal’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Eco’, the R5 Turbo 3E gets ‘Turbo’ (for drifting), ‘Track invader’, ‘donut’ and more. The last two sound self-explanatory, though the former is claimed to be ‘for playing’. More gaming nods…

And that continues in the rest of the inside, with the ten analogue dials of the original being replaced by ten individual screens, which work like widgets featuring pixelated fonts that have ‘leapt out of the retro gaming universe’. There’s even a ‘free play’ button which starts the car. The purple and lurid green colourway continues, with the central tunnel shining bright and housing the hydro handbrake. Naturally, driver and passenger will be in the aggressive embrace of carbon bucket seats.

The Turbo 3 is a reinvented Renault 5

All in, Renault’s created a Need for Speed cover car, minus the game to slap it on the front of. It’s a curious mix of old and new, that is sure to get people talking. Then again, the Renault 5 Turbo has had people talking for 50 years, so this feels appropriate.