40 Years of Renault 5 6×6
The little Renault 5 is still a well-known car for many of our readers. If not from own driving experiences, then in any case from the daily street scene. After all, more than nine million copies were produced in two model generations over 22 years, followed by a few thousands more until 2008 produced under license in Iran. However, probably only a few know, that besides the three- and five-door hatchback and the sedan offered in some markets as the Renault 7 as well as the mid-engined Renault 5 Turbo and the second generation van Rapid there was another variant.
After the successful premiere of the now famous endurance rally Paris-Dakar in 1978, many people in France had the ‘Dakar fever’. For the second edition, Christian de Léotard, an experienced conversion specialist and engineer, developed a 70 centimeters longer three-door version of the Renault 5 with a third axle behind the normal rear axle. He also installed a hydrostatic all-wheel drive system, in which an horizontal oil collumn is moved to drive the rear wheels. Similar systems are otherwise only known from construction machinery and agricultural vehicles. In order to bring the 6×6 steadily to a standstill at any given time, it received disc-brakes all around. The curb weight rose relatively moderately from 800 to 980 kilograms.
Right behind the doors, de Léotard changed the look of the ‘little friend’ thoroughly. The roofline rises again, allowing a rear end with plenty of space for the spare parts needed during the rally. Nevertheless, the car retired early by technical defect at its only start at the Paris-Dakar. Typically, one would assume that such a failure contributes to the end of such a project. Instead, however, Christian de Léotard quite soon received inquiries from the French police as well as fire and rescue services, who saw the potential of the Renault 5 6×6 to be a good service vehicle in rough terrain. Thus, several other copies were created, but nobody really knows how many and also the number of surviving cars is unknown.
A true culmination of de Léotards work nearly completely burned down recently. Based on a Renault 5 Turbo he created a last 6×6, in which the turbo engine behind the seats drove the rear two axles, while under the front hood sat the engine from the Renault 5 Alpine with 93 hp. This one-off, painted in red, went through the hands of a few collectors and ended up in a garage that burned down and took half the car with it. Fortunately, another French car collector wouldn’t let this unique car be scrapped. He saved the wreck with a lot of effort. Even the rally car of the Paris-Dakar still exists and is parked in the underground garage of the MACM (Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, museum of classic arts) in Mougins/France.
Images: Renault
