Jean-Luc Thérier, the renowned French rally driver, would compete in a total of 46 World Rally Championship events, earning five overall wins, 10 podium finishes, and 61 stage victories. During the 1973 World Rally Championship, he was the highest-scoring driver, though at the time, no overall drivers’ title was awarded, but his Alpine-Renault team did earn the championship. During his career he would race an Alpine-Renault A110 1800, a Renault 17 Gordini, a Porsche 911 SC, as well as this 1982 Renault 5 Turbo.

Chassis B0000454 was delivered in 1982 to Renault Chartres, who were immediately keen to enter events with it. Renault Chartres chose to employ famed rally driver Jean-Luc Thérier to pilot the R5. Since Renault chose to focus their competition efforts on the Formula 1 Championship, though they did offer much technical support to Chartres, this was as close as an R5 came to being a true Works rally car!

For Thérier’s time in the R5, his co-driver was Michel Vial, also a well-known participant of the era. They entered the French Rally Championship with the first event being the Critérium de Touraine in early March. In May, Thérier and Vial competed in the Tour de Corse, and in April, they took overall victory in the Critérium Alpin de Grasse. The season continued with a 2nd place finish at the Rallye du Mont-Blanc followed by further overall victories at the 1000 Pistes and Terre de Biarritz events.

In September, the pair entered the most gruelling event of the year, the Tour de France Automobile. Held over 3,140 kilometres, 540 of which were competitive stages with 84 crews starting and only 38 finishing. Regardless, the all-French team was not intimidated and finished a sensational 2nd overall, helping to seal the 1982 French Rally Championship. The season ended well with a 4th and 2nd place finish at the final two events, thus cementing their championship.

For the 1983 season, Thérier would enter three events in the R5: the 1000 Pistes, d’Antibes, and Var; the season highlight was an overall victory at the Rallye d’Antibes.

The following year was to be another successful season for Renault Chartres and Thérier. They entered this two-wheel drive Renault 5 Turbo in the Rallye Monte-Carlo held in January. The event comprised 30 stages held over 722 kilometres, though unpredictable weather led to the cancellation of two stages due to blizzard conditions. At the start, there were 209 crews, of which 120 qualified as finishers, and only 75 managed to complete the full route, highlighting how demanding the Monte Carlo event really was. Ultimately, Thérier and Vial finished a respectable 4th overall, though most impressive was that they were the first two-wheel drive car to complete the demanding rally.

The next event for was the 1984 Rallye Terre de Provence, which was held in May. This time, Thérier stepped aside to allow Jean Ragnotti to drive. Ragnotti is well regarded as having truly mastered the Renault 5 Turbo, including victories in the 1981 Rallye Monte-Carlo along with winning the 1982 and 1985 Tour de Corse events. At the Rallye Terre de Provence, Ragnotti finished 2nd overall; however, he followed that up with a victory at the Rallye de Mont-Blanc in September.

After the 1984 season, the Renault was entered in one more competitive rally, the Critérium de Touraine in 1985, this time driven by Bernard Levallois to a 3rd overall finish. The car was next seen in Guadeloupe, where it was owned and frequently rallied by Max Berville, an accomplished amateur driver. Located by a famous rally car dealer, the R5 was returned to Europe in 1999, at which point the consignor purchased it. It was used briefly in some historic events, including the 2012 Tour de Corse Historique, where it finished 4th overall. Since that time, it has remained within the owner’s private collection and most recently, it has been on display in the Automobile Museum of Monte Carlo. Having recently been serviced by noted marque specialists, the R5 is beautifully presented in its 1984 Monte Carlo livery.

Complete with its FIA papers, this historically significant R5 Turbo is one of the finest of the breed and warrants serious consideration.