Miguel Sánchez
1977 was a year of transition for Renault sports models. The moment in which the Gordini name was left behind to be gradually replaced by the turbo. And it is that the impact of the compression of gases in the feeding of the engines was enormous. So much so that it was not only the fetish concept of European motorsport during the eighties. But also the responsible for inaugurating, together with direct injection in compact vehicles, a new way of understanding sportiness. A process that involved popular models deriving from the premier category of motorsport. The F1.
Competition that during that same 1977 included the presentation of the RSO1. The Renault car that for the first time fitted a turbocharger, inaugurating a path through which Ferrari would soon travel with its 126 CK 1981. Confirmation that this technology was not one of the passing experiments frequently tested in racing. Otherwise a universally applicable advantage that changed the performance of engines in all segments and competitions. Thus, in 1977 Renault stopped using the Gordini name for improved versions of its passenger cars.
Thus a whole epoch was closed. Opening the way for Renault Sport and its turbo cars. Which reached such a degree of promotion after the first victory in the 1979 French Grand Prix that it was impossible to deny the entry of the French brand in the era of turbocharging. Fact that It led to the incorporation of this technology to the sports variants of its series models during the eighties, generating a saga as iconic and successful as Gordini herself was. A collection of sports models for day to day, among which we find the R11 Turbo. Model that arrived in Spain in 1984 to be manufactured at the FASA in Valladolid.
R11 TURBO, A SPORTS CAR FOR EVERYDAY
At the end of the seventies, Renault needed to implement a successful and versatile model below the three-volume R12. With this, the incipient and soon dominant segment C would be covered. Just the place to locate vehicles with more space than a simple utility vehicle like the R5 but with less presence and chassis length than a saloon like the future R18. Under these coordinates, a team led by Robert Opron - designer of the Citroën SM and CX, as well as the Alpine A310 or the Alfa Romeo SZ - got down to work with the vision of replacing the failed R14.
The result was not long in coming. Introduced in 1982 to the R11 as a compact and versatile model with the R9 as a complement to the range in three-volume version. Nevertheless, Opron's biggest success was the hatchback design finished off in a gate where the large rounded rear window was integrated. An aesthetic advancement that made the R11 a much broader, brighter and visually lighter model than its predecessors. Without a doubt, another example of Opron's ingenuity. Expert in handling clean volumes and transparent surfaces.
In addition, in terms of weight, it was around 900 kilos in the case of the three-door versions. All this involving a correct driving position and good ride comfort. So much so that, in certain media of the time, they bemoaned how well the interior was soundproofing to the sounds of the engine and the howl of the turbo spinning up. Definitely a shame for the driver with more sporty whims. But at the same time a fundamental clue about the main motivation of the R11 Turbo version. The fun at the wheel without it being at odds with the necessary practicality present in all large-series Renault.
TURBO ENHANCED MECHANICS
The R11 Turbo can be raised some criticism. The most obvious is its consumption somewhat above the average - about 2 liters more depending on the type of driving than what is given by the GTIs of the moment. And for the more fired up an aesthetic perhaps too sober. However, these are not reasons to understand its poor visibility compared to other Renault turbo models. Far from it, the reason is that the main competition of this vehicle was at home with the sports versions of the R5. Smaller and therefore more nervous and lighter. Also equipped with the same block of 1 liters and 4CV with Garret T105 turbocharger mounted on the R2 Turbo of phase 11.
In this way, the R11 Turbo was reduced to a very small market niche. Counting only on those people who would like to combine the sportiness of an R5 Copa Turbo with the docility and practicality of a C-segment model. its driving is marked by the vibrancy of a turbocharger with character that comes in suddenly with some delay. But also because of a docile chassis. Responsible for delivering neutral reactions alongside hardened suspensions without overly compromising a smooth ride.
In this way, the R11 Turbo can be looked for with some confidence the limits. Benefiting from a reinforced rear stabilizer bar that helps keep the car almost flat when cornering. A behavior that we can also see in later models such as the Supercinco GT Turbo. Able to give your driving confidence in what remains a good balance between efficiency, safety and practicality. Characteristics to understand the success of the Renault Turbo during the eighties, being complemented in the R11 Turbo with a precise direction according to owners and testers of the model.
CHILDHOOD MEMORIES, GUSTAVO BOYERO'S R11 TURBO
Normally, in almost any concentration of classics, the conversation about which was the model that struck you for the first time. The one whose image was etched in your childhood retina. Taking the role of having been the car with the responsibility of having hooked you into the world of four wheels. For Gustavo Boyero it was the R11 Turbo. And, accustomed to traveling through the lands of Alba de Tormes in the seats of his parents' Dyane 6, the contrast with the R11 Turbo acquired in 1986 by his cousins totally marked him.
The smell of the brand new cabin. The brightness of the interior. The response of the turbocharger. Everything added to recognize in him his first car "really". So much so that he couldn't get it out of his head. Having recovered a unit to leave it in the magnificent state that we see in the photographs. Of course, as almost always happens in the world of classics, the story could not be that easy. Far from it, everything goes back to the mid-nineties. Moment in which one of his cousins had an accident that left the R11 turbo damaged and stopped in a field.
At the end of the nineties the set ended up in the hands of Gustavo. Who moved it to another place to use it as a donor for a hypothetical and future restoration project. Something that finally came in 2006, when after receiving the notice of an R11 Turbo about to be sent to the scrapyard in a town near Salamanca comes to their rescue. The turbocharger does not work. But still the engine starts after priming the carburetor with gasoline, managing to take the car for restoration. From here he disassembles it entirely from the inside.
In the restoration process he uses a combination of original parts and others from the remains of his cousin's R11 Turbo. Retaining the 13-inch braid rims so typical of the R5. Which are the originals of that damaged R11 that marked Gustavo as a child, having passed the restored R11 turbo as a tribute to his cousins. Achieving with this restoration to recreate the same aspect of that R11 that dazzled him in childhood. A whole story of passion for this Renault model, shared even with Pagani tester Andrea Palma.
Another fan of the R11 turbo. Who also has a unit of the same as a souvenir of the one his father had in the eighties before changing it for a R19 16 valves. Common point with Gustavo, maintaining a relationship that is renewed every year with the calendar that this Salamanca fan makes with the photographs of his collection. And it is that, even with the decades that have passed, the Renault Turbo of the eighties are still one of the most exciting sports sagas of popular motorsport.
Photographs: Gustavo Boyero
