Renault’s performance history is far more varied than a list of hot hatchbacks suggests. It includes mid-engined rally homologation specials, featherweight turbo cars, a front-wheel-drive icon, an understated 175hp super-saloon and a twin-turbo flagship developed with two German specialists. This growing collection brings their histories and engineering together.
Detailed Renault guides
Start with these twelve cornerstone cars. Each guide uses researched specifications, real-car photography and links into the wider Renault story.
Renault Clio Williams
The blue-and-gold homologation-era hot hatch: Renault Sport engineering, wide-track chassis and the truth behind the Williams name.
Read the Clio Williams guide →
Renault 5 GT Turbo
The front-engined Supercinq hot hatch: compare Phase 1 and Phase 2, understand its competition record and learn why standard cars are now scarce.
Read the Renault 5 GT Turbo guide →
Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2
The rear-mid-engined rally special: Turbo, Turbo 2 and Maxi 5 explained, including the construction and competition history.
Explore the mid-engined Renault 5 →
Renault 21 Turbo
A 175hp family saloon that served the gendarmerie, won a French touring-car title and set remarkable speed records on ice.
Discover the Renault 21 Turbo →
Renault Safrane Biturbo
Renault’s 268hp, four-wheel-drive flagship, developed with Hartge and Irmscher and limited to only 806 examples.
Read the Safrane Biturbo story →
Renault 11 Turbo
The discreet 1980s turbo hatchback that became a genuine Group A rally winner, with Phase 1 and Phase 2 differences explained.
Read the Renault 11 Turbo story →
Renault Sport Spider
Renault Sport’s aluminium-bodied roadster: lightweight construction, Clio Williams power and the uncompromising Trophy race series.
Explore the Renault Sport Spider →
Renault 25 V6 Turbo
France’s turbocharged executive flagship, combining PRV V6 power, front-wheel drive, Baccara luxury and unmistakable 1980s technology.
Read the Renault 25 V6 Turbo guide →
Renault Fuego Turbo
The aerodynamic four-seat coupé that paired turbocharged performance with pioneering remote central locking and a dramatic glass hatch.
Discover the Renault Fuego Turbo →
Renault Avantime V6
Matra’s radical two-door coupéspace, complete with pillarless glazing, double-hinged doors and a 3.0-litre V6 flagship.
Read the Renault Avantime V6 story →
Renault Clio V6: Phase 1 and Phase 2
The mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive Clio transformed from TWR’s demanding 226hp original into Renault Sport’s extensively reworked 255hp Phase 2.
Read the complete Clio V6 history →
Renault Mégane R26 and R26.R
The limited-slip R26 and stripped, carbon-bonneted R26.R that established Renault Sport’s Nürburgring record tradition.
Read the Mégane R26 and R26.R story →Twelve very different interpretations of performance
The Renault 5 Turbo moved its engine behind the seats for rallying; the GT Turbo and Renault 11 Turbo extracted huge personality from compact front-driven platforms. The Clio Williams used capacity and chassis development rather than boost, while the aluminium Sport Spider stripped performance back to its essentials. The 21 Turbo and Renault 25 V6 Turbo made family and executive cars unexpectedly rapid; the Safrane Biturbo added two turbochargers and four-wheel drive. The Fuego Turbo brought technology to the four-seat coupé, while the Avantime V6 turned Matra’s spacious architecture into a pillarless grand tourer.
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