Lucia Andrade
When we talk about Renault 5 We have to talk about more than five million units, number one for 10 years on the sales list in France and a demand almost always higher than supply. It was manufactured mostly in France between 1972 and 1996, although it was also assembled in Spain and Mexico, and has left a trail of fantastic videos advertising that is worth seeing. Let's go with one of them ...
We will go back to the Renault of the late 60s, when people began to think about an evolution of the R4: it was the Project 122. In Spain we would have to wait until the spring of 1972, at the Barcelona Motor Show, to find out what this initiative had embodied: the new Renault 5 Two versions were shown there, one of 782 cc (with an engine from the 4/4, with only 30 hp) and another of 956 cc, with a Sierra engine similar to that of the R8. Finally, the model was put on sale in October only in the 956 cc version, under the trade name 950.
According to the advertising, deciding on a Renault 5 it was doing it for a new, smarter way of living. The concept of "utilitarian": A useful car for its owners, with anatomical reclining seats that can be converted into a bed, washable upholstery, a boot capable of tripling its capacity with a gesture (270 to 900 liters by folding down the rear seats). Its length (3,5 m) and short turning radius (4,9 m) made it essentially manageable in the city.
All these characteristics were very new in Spain at the beginning of the 70s, if we take into account the cars that dominated our streets at that time: 4/4, Gordini, R8, 600, 850, simca 1000, 2CV ...Let's see the video:
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If we add front-wheel drive to all the aforementioned characteristics "To go as on rails", rack steering, front disc brakes and automatic brake limiter; Four-wheel independent suspension with torsion bars, hydraulic shock absorbers and stabilizer bar, and a consumption of 6,8 liters per 100, it is not surprising that the little Renault quickly became a success. "To know him is to love him", read the slogan on the ads.
Other advertising slogans were 'for very traveling citizens', 'free like the wind' o 'an athlete in a street suit'. In short, we are talking about a powerful, economical, stable car, spacious on the inside and small on the outside. A piece of automobile history summed up in this ad that everyone would want to drive. Good weekend!
* News in collaboration with MA Vázquez: Do not stop reading his article on the Renault 5 Cup!
