I had one of these in my junior year of high school. I paid $400 for it, and it was actually fun as hell to drive. About that time I got myself a girlfriend and discovered it was't the most comfortable vehicle to have sex in. So I got myself a job delivering pizzas in my Le Car and by the end of the school year I'd saved up $2,500; just enough to trade it in for an 85 S15 Jimmy 4x4. Not only did the Jimmy provide ample space for a much greater exploration of the Kama Sutra it's off road capabilities made for excellent access to more secluded make out spots. Those were the days.
I spent a lot of my youth in the backseat of one of these. My grandmother had a new frog green/baby diarrhea tan ‘78 LeCar (R5). It was a very unusual car to see in rural NC in the 1970’s. She would drive the snot out that thing on curvy mountain roads, even getting the inside front wheel hopping while accelerating around corners. CB radio’s were big at the time when traveling. Her CB handle was “The French Connection”. Good memories
My Sunday school teacher in Pennsylvania,still a friend to this day,had one in the early to mid 80s. He drives a manual Mini Cooper now,his second Mini Cooper! 😍😍
I had an 1980. Same color and cladding w/o the sunroof. Back when the speed limit was 55mph, I garnered 44mpg on long trips. It was fun. Wish I still had one.
I owned one in 80. Added a bike rack to the back and moved (with all my meager stuff) to Cali in it. If you tucked yourself behind the draft of a transfer truck you could really motor down the interstate at a pretty good clip. The rag top however was an easy entry point for thieves. I lost 2 aftermarket stereos that way. Traded for a Ford Courier after about 3 years. I loved that little silver bullet though.
Back in the early 90's, one-by-one I bought a total of 5 Le Cars, all on the cheap, $200 or less. The first one was the only one I got very many miles out of (8000 miles) before rust forced me to move on to another one. Never got that many miles out of the rest, but I loved every one of them. They didn't sell all that many here in the US, but worldwide, they sold over 5 million of the buggers.
Very nice specimen! I saw a lot of these in my high school and college years. The earlier versions (1976 - 80) were fitted with US-spec round sealed beam headlights. Very ugly compared to models sold in Europe. The US versions converted to rectangular sealed beam headlights for 1981. The front end looked better. A four-door model was added to the lineup, also. I really liked the Le Car (Renault 5) and considered buying one (new) when I graduated from college. I liked the 3 door styling, the fuel economy, and the ride. However, lackluster crash test results pointed me in other directions. Maintaining one of these cars today would be a real challenge because replacement parts are scarce. Excellent video!!
But even when they got rectangular headlights in the US,they were still sealed beam type,not flush composite headlights like in Europe,which always looked even better!
Can confirm that's a genuine 80's french car. It's not the kind of cars you like in the US, so I get the reputation it has (plus it's name), but if you didn't hate it then you'll like your trop to France considering the car's I have here for you to review ;)
I had (one of) its turbocharged version in 1990-1992 : the Renault 5 Alpine Turbo (known in the UK as the R5 Gordini Turbo) : a heavy as hell steering due to its bigger tires, a very optimistic brake system (I even made an unvoluntary 360 in a highway tunnel on wet road!), a turbo lag as long as a cold and rainy day BUT if I had to choose between all the cars I had, I'd gladly take this crazy tiny tin box because, damn, it's a helluva living, funny and cool _boîte à bonheur!_ Side note : it's a funny coincidence you have almost the same name (at least phonetically) than a famous 90's French TV host : Jacques Pradel.
This exact car in red was my first car! Was our family’s first ‘second cat’ that got passed down to me when I got my license in HS. It was really fun to drive…until it wasn’t 😂 It just kept breaking down towards the end, so unfortunately it’s been sold. Would love to sit in one again!
I have an inexplainable attraction to these. I saw them around pretty frequent in the 80s so I believe they sold in fairly decent numbers even here in the USA. However Renault did not arrive here in the 70s. They arrived in the 1950s right around the same time Volkswagen did.Renault held them record for number of units sold in the USA for an imported cars first year- a record they held onto until Hyundai came along for the 1986 model year.
Yes! Renaults were actually sold in the USA for about 4 decades,and with their partnership w/ AMC ,actually built several French developed & designed Renault models for about a decade or so from the early 80s until the early 90s....even though towards the end they were badged as Eagles,as were some Mitsubishis.
She is beautiful... My mother had one from 1972 and one from 1976, of course, they were not identical to those intended for the American market, the bumpers were less bulky and the headlights were not recessed in a chrome hubcap, they didn't have those seats either, but simplistic seats without headrests, nor the side marker lights either. Rust was a huge concern especially on the rear fenders and all models over 5 years old ended up with holes 15cm in circumference. Here in France, the R5 (pronounced "Air thank") were in all the streets in countless numbers. Thank you for this nice video. Valéry from Lille, North of France. Elle est magnifique... Ma mère en a eu une de 1972 et une de 1976, bien sur, elles n'étaient pas identiques à celles destinées au marché Américain, les pare-chocs étaient moins volumineux et les phares avant n'étaient pas encastrés dans un enjoliveur chromé, elles n'avaient pas non plus ces sièges là mais des sièges simplistes sans appui-têtes, ni non plus les feux latéraux de gabarit. La rouille était un énorme souci surtout aux ailes arrières et tous les modèles de plus de 5 ans finissaient avec des trous de 15 cms de circonférence. Ici en France, les R5 (prononcez "Air thank") étaient dans toutes les rues en nombre incalculable. Merci pour cette belle vidéo. Valéry de Lille, Nord de la France.
Je suis de Bordeaux, France. Pour moi, c'était une automobile d'occasion... Je n'ai jamais eu l'occasion de monter à son bord, mais jeune, il y en avait partout, surtout sa remplaçante la Super 5, même plateforme que la Renault 11 ( Renault Alliance). Aujourd'hui, elles sont devenues rares en France. I am from Bordeaux, France. For me, it was a used car... I never had the opportunity to ride in it, but when I was young, they were everywhere, especially its replacement, the Super 5, same platform as the Renault 11 (Renault Alliance). Today, they have become rare in France
I had a friend in high school who ended up with one new. His dad had an AMEX gold card an you had to spend so much to keep it, so at the end of the year he bought one on the card to keep his status and gave it to my friend. It was a real hoot to ride around in, especially with the sardine can top rolled back. I remember going to see him in college. his dorm room was a converted student lounge with double sliding doors on the ground floor so he kept it in his actual room to avoid parking too far away.
@@ShootingCars personally i have 2 japanese cars and am planning on buying mercedes benz clk in future if you ever happen to be in georgia (country), will be happy to give you the keys man.
Actually, in french, "car" means a travel bus, with rows and rows of seats. I think it's been used here in English, car, to market it as a ... car. The french for car is "voiture", if you wonder
I had a Le'Car. It was pretty much identical to this one .Got it when I was a teenager. It was loads of fun to drive. Very comfy car and I am and was 6'2'' I. l went to the gas station maybe once a month.Ive had lots of cars over the years . But I kinda regret getting rid of this one. All around great car for the money . Should I mention I only paid 150.00 for mine used . It was the 80s...
From 1978 to the mid-80's I sold Renaults and Mazdas and for a time owned a 1976 Le Car. What I loved about the car most were the seats and the incredible torsion bar suspension which gave the car amazing vertical wheel travel. You could drive the thing at breakneck speed over potholes and dips and barely feel it. I had a buddy who worked at the VW/Peugeot dealership in town and he always used to brag about the superiority of the VW Rabbit over the Le Car (they certainly sold more that was for sure). Near the dealership was an intersection with a deep dip so I challenged him to a competition where I knew the Le Car was unbeatable. We would drive each car through aforesaid intersection at 45 mph and see which suspension was superior. We took the Le Car over the dip first at 45 mph and the result was a moderately loud, "thump - thump". However, when we drove the Rabbit over the dip at 45 mph, the result was "Bam!!!!!!" We thought sure we had broken something in the front suspension. Fortunately, we were able to have a mechanic at the VW store put it on the lift and check it out and thankfully it was fine. The Le Car was an amazing fun car to be sure.
I had this exact car. Same year and color. The brother of a friend of mine owned it and drove it for about 32K miles and just didn't want it anymore. In about 1988, he sold it to me for $300 and it was absolutely immaculate. Like new. But, it was SLOW, and I was young and stupid, so I drove it for a summer and then sold it. I sure wish I had just mothballed it someplace. At $300, even at the time, it was basically a "free" car to me. It sure would be a fun weekend cruiser to have now...
En France il y avait 3 modèles aux tops . La version Alpine (atmosphérique et tubo). La version Tubo (Turbo 1 et turbo 2). Et la version TX, très luxueuses, vitres électriques, boîte automatique, sièges velours et jantes alu... Elle elle me faisait tourner la tête... Mais à mon époque, c'était déjà des vieilles occasions souvent rincer.... In France there were 3 top models. The Alpine version (atmospheric and tubo). The Tubo version (Turbo 1 and turbo 2). And the TX version, very luxurious, electric windows, automatic transmission, velor seats and aluminum rims... It made my head spin... But in my time, they were already old used ones that were often washed out...
I owned one brand new in 1978. You're a bit off on the Renault History. Renault entered the USA right after WWII. They did very well in the fifties and early 60's competing against the VW, They were the Second largest importer into the USA. Thru the late 60's and early 70's they developed a bad reputation on quality, simply put, their cars weren't designed well for the USA Market....Same as Japanese cars but where the Japanese fixed their issues, the Frenchwell stayed French and didn't assimilate well into the USA causing sales declines. The LeCar wasn't even offered by AMC until 1981 and only offered by AMC for 5 model years, 1981 thru 1985. 1976 thru 1980 The R5 LeCar was sold by Renault dealer and did reasonably well. The American marketing of the car was done by the French, they named it LeCar in the USA, but also incorporated the R5 badges. My car was a 1978 Renault R5GTL "LeCar". I still one one today. Additionally AMC didn't desolve or fail or go bankrupt, they simply merged into Chrysler. The AMC shareholders approved the deal and AMC Jeep Renault became the Jeep Eagle Division of Chrysler. Chrysler needed AMC's design expertise and technology besides also needing production capacity and the Jeep Brand and the 2000 USA dealers. It's all documented in the book "The Last American CEO' by Joe Cappy, the last CEO of American Motors.
I owned the 1982 version. It was fun to drive and never got stuck in the snow. Very small inside and if someone hit you, well you prob wouldnt survive since no air bags were in it.
Subscribed ;) Around 1991 in Portugal, two brothers had one '5' (the European model name) almost unused in their mother's garage. One day, they decided to take the thing for a joy ride and at night we followed those brothers - who told us they planned to do donuts and other idiocies with a car not very difficult to roll-over. The chosen place was a motorway under construction, still without the tarmac, only dirt. What I recall is those clowns laughing their socks off as the car was rocking left and right and lifting piles of dust, the only thing visible were the taillights in the distance. Suddenly everyone listened to the sound of an engine revving, a dry crash sound, taillights and headlights off and silence... The '5' was wheels up, the roof caved in and the rear hatch wide open and yes, the brothers still laughing!
Renault had a longer presence in the US and sold more models here than you think. I'm not familiar with the pre-1970s models other than the Dauphine, but as of the early 1970s and up,i recall we had: R17 (?) coupe R5/LeCar 18i sedan and Sportwagon Fuego sport coupe R9/Alliance sedan and its R11/Encore counterpart R21/Medallion sedan and wagon Renault was also very innovative in the early 1980s in introducing the first key fob based remote lock/unlock...tech that we then enjoyed from other brands for the next several decades.
The Eagle Premier was a Canadian built Renault,too. Encores & Alliances were built in the US....called Renault 9s & 11s,& think. All three were obviously also built in France...i think the Eagle Premier was called Renault 25 in Europe.
Great video, fun car. BTW, AMC isn't American Motor Cars, it's American Motors Corporation. Oh, and it's traditionally pronounced reh-NOH, which the accent on the second syllable. Nice to see young people discovering our ancient artifacts though. I feel like an ancient Egyptian watching the National Geographic channel!
This was a trip for me. I owned a red 1980 Le Car that I bought used in 1983. Drove it until about 1990. It was fun to drive and had great fuel economy. But I could list a dozen really bad design ideas that gave me problems. Those metal hinges that hold the side pop out windows kept coming unglued. The exhaust pipe is positioned right under the driver’s seat, in the path of spray from the front wheel, and it rusted out every couple of years. When the engine valve cover leaks, it drips right onto the belt and pulley causing it to slip, heat & snap. The voltage regulator on the alternator kept going bad. On and on.
i bought a 78 leftover in 79 for $4200.Drove it for 14 years and a hundred and forty thousand miles.I loved it!I looked after it and replaced the usual stuff.....belts, hoses etc.The twin choke Weber carb needed attention now and then. It was quirky.The car handled and the ride was surprisingly good The California version tended to run on the hot side. One day all the warning lights came on and it was blowing smoke through the heater vents so it was " goodnight' and I sold it for fifty bucks.No regrets. Happy days.
It is important to know that this car was released in 1973. Compare it to basic American cars of its era, and you will be surprised how well designed this car was. I'm in Canada and I had two. a 78 and an 84... recently I had a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. My two Renaults have been more reliable than my Chevrolet. Please note...I am from Quebec. I speak French. The car means ''L'auto ou la voiture'' here the word ''LE'' means that you have superior THE in English. it's French humor. It's a bit like when you say ''Bonne apétis'' with a French accent.
So much more on the Renault in the US story. Renault had been in the US in VERY small numbers from early on through the 50's-60's through to the late 80's. The Renault/AMC partnership was interesting to say the least. Renault wanted AMC for Jeep and the dealer network in the USA. But with no support/parts/training of technicians/etc. the inevitable happened and Chrysler bought out AMC for Jeep as well. Remember this phrase and apply it to all things French - The French copy no one and no one copies the French.
"With every new model, the French have an inclination to redesign the automobile as a concept" -Paraphrasing an American mechanic who worked on a Fuego.
A buddy of mine had one of these in high school. We busted his stones about his tiny car, but at least he had one. I remember fitting 4 high school boys in there without a problem.
Good and funny review! Incredible good condition, knowing that all Renaults of this area were beginning to rust "even on the sales brochure" (old Dad's joke !😁) Note: this is the first car in the world to have integral plastic bumpers. The design dates from the end of the 60's and the commercialization in 1972. FwD + hatchback + bumpers, we can say that it laid the foundations of the modern super mini car... finally at the avant-garde! IMO the US name is "ridiculous"..the closest french translation would be "The Voiture"
REN-o is correct! However,I am quite sure in the 50s & 60s & maybe early 70s,they were marketed as Re-NOLTS in the US,then Ren-NOSE in the late 70s & 80s!
Maybe later you can get to review a Renault 5 GT Turbo, the hot hatch performance version of this car. Renault (pronounced Ren-oh) made it with a turbo 1.4 litre 4-cylinder engine that put out 118 horsepower and 121 pound feet of torque, able to do 0-60 miles per hour in 8 seconds. Maybe not impressive by today's standards, but back then it sure was. The rare R5 made 158 hp and 163 pound feet of torque - not bad for such a small, light car. I think these cars were better suited to narrow, crowded streets of European cities like Paris, France. Totally different driving environment and expectations then in the US, hence the reason for poor US sales. I'm sure a true Renault enthusiast could chime in with more details.
I bought one of these Le Cars back in the early 1980s. It was used and I don't remember what year it was. I bought it from a car dealership that was not a Renault dealer. That car would constantly run the battery down. It had some kind of motor/fan that would run after you turn the engine off. It would constantly run the battery down. New battery would not work. It got to the point where I'd take a terminal off the battery to keep it from running that fan. This was long time ago but I often wondered what was wrong with that car. The places I took it to had no idea but I never looked for a Renault dealer. Could it have been the thermostat?
Great vid, great car! If you want to see another quirky renault based on the wee 5, check out the Renault "Siete", a sedan version built only in Spain.
5:00 Ain't no "coupe" - it's a three door hatchback. Man, small cars from especially that era really hammer home the point how huge cars have become these days. OG Mini vs new "Mini", VW Golf and Polo, OG Fiat 500 vs the current 500 - even the supposedly small(-ish) cars are so much bigger today. On the one hand, this isn't a bad thing, seeing how you'd probably be able to walk away from a crash in a modern mini/small car that could have crippled or killed you in a comparable car of 70s/80s vintage. On the other hand, I do miss how these things would give you lots more feedback and how much more direct they felt. You just had to remember that you were running on skinny tires whose rubber wasn't nearly as grippy as today's tires, that your brakes were laughably weak - and that the crumple zone was probably your body and not the car's. :D
I grew us with these my dad has one with a alpine 5 speed and a archer brothers race cam with some head work done it’s not fast but definitely a fun car to drive
i can buy one really cheap where I live, but I've never driven a 43 years old car, so i'm not that sure. For the aesthetic and simplicity of the car, i'm sure i will have a great time, but dont know how reliable it would be
Renault may not be sold in the US anymore But every Nissan sold today has that renault influence due to the fact that Nissan has been under renault since the late 90s. The original nissan versa was actually designed by renault. The other reason why renault left the US market because Chrysler only wanted AMC because of Jeep.
Renault ABSOLUTELY RUINED Nissan. The difference in the quality of my ALL NISSAN Pickup Truck to the 2004 and 2005 Nissan Frontiers was light years apart. The 2004 had body quality issues. The 2005 had transmission issues. Like everything in American and Japanese vehicles the French touch. The French ruin.
I'm quite curious as to why you lay the blame on Renault for the transmission issues on your "ALL NISSAN" truck. Just an FYI, the transmission was made by JATCO, which is jointly owned by Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki. Renault had no input on the design, which was already underway at the time of the Renault/Nissan alliance. Unlike many other JATCO transmissions, the model installed in 05 Frontiers are actually quite reliable. You blame the french, but I'd be willing to bet that the issues resulted from failing to follow the recommended maintenance schedule.
Another fun fact: to be more linguistically correct (though still an anglicism) it should have been "LA car" (not LE Car). In French, all nouns take on a gender, so anything "male" is identified as "le" and if feminine with "la." The correct English to French translation for "The car" is actually "la voiture" (note the use of "la" and not "le"). Though "car" could be thought of a bus in French, I'd say the more correct word is "autocar" in France. In French Canadian it's "autobus" - go figure! I guess it just sounded better to English speakers to call it "Le Car". BTW, you're pronouncing "le" the Spanish way, like "lay" - it should be more like "luh". There's not exact sound in English, but think of the "uh" in the word "put." But wait, there's more... a French-Canadian slang word (a gallicism) for "the car" is "le char" (pronounced "shahr") which is a butchered way of trying to say "car" in French with a French accent, so I guess, going by that, "LE" Car could be correct, though this car is from France where that slang word is not used.
@@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY Merci! I should have known that, I used to live in Québec, but in the 2000s, long after these cars were common sights on the roads.
Too bad you failed to research the history of Renault here in the states. Been here since the 60's and imported some wonderful other models, 12, 15, 17 Gordini.
They were here in the fifties, as well, with the 4CV, Dauphine, Caravelle - Transitioning to the sixties with the R-8, R-10 and the R-16. In addition to the 12, 15, 17 and Gordini, Renault exported the Fuego, and the 18i. Renault was on the cusp of introducing the Premier, built in Canada in a new plant built by AMC. Part of the Chrysler purchase of AMC included the new plant and car, now branded as Eagle. Renault Medallion was imported here toward the end of their association with AMC - the Medallion was also re-branded as an Eagle. Also note that the Renault 9 was built here in the United States under the name Alliance. I am also disappointed with the reviewer not researching the history of Renault here in the United States. Despite that, I liked the review. It may have been a bit light in some respects, but I imagine that the review was intended as entertainment, not as an overly serious review of a pretty neat little ride. (Disclaimer, I've owned a LeCar, a pair of Alliances, and an Eagle Premier sporting an AMC/Renault build tag.)
Comparing a Renault 5 to a Yugo, and then driving around Florida on a sunny day without opening that beautiful cloth sunroof ? Perhaps cars aren't your thing. Have you considered electric skateboards ?
Renault sold many more in the USA then 3 models 1973-1977 R8 Alpine 1977-1983 r5 1983-1994 Alliance 1983-1989 Sport Wagon (really fast and drove very well all fuel injected 2.2l ) 1983-1989 Fago 1990-1992 Alliance GTA (very very fast it was a turn key SCCA alpine Grand Touring race car in everyway that you could drive to work and race on the weekend. I personal hold a hill climb record in 4 cycle naturally aspirated CLAss and a GTA fastest lap in 1991 at Wakins Glenn as well as fastest stage in class in 91 at Wellsbro ) These cars are all very special to me and @John Fogal
Now that's a rare car, and mint too. It's nicer than I thought, maybe because it's not roached out. Technically because French is a gendered language it should be La Car, or La Voiture if you're directly translating The Car. French cars are cool because they aggressively do things their own way whether it actually makes sense or not. Old Peugeots are pretty conventional, Renault did a little experimenting, and Citroen just did whatever whimsical idea they came up with. You should make a video on American Motors' partnership with Renault. The AMC-built Renaults were actually pretty good for the era and kept AMC in business for a few more years. Very few have survived. My 80s Jeep's manual has stamps from an AMC/Jeep/Renault dealer and Renault part numbers.
From my little collection this is one of my favorites. It’s so strange to see one of these in such good shape.
Matt V ... nice example! All the very best and keep the little one clean and on the road! GREAT video!
@@ViaSandee thank you and Zack is great at doing these videos!
I’m shocked it ain’t rusted away myself I haven’t seen one in person since a kid honestly
I had one of these in my junior year of high school. I paid $400 for it, and it was actually fun as hell to drive. About that time I got myself a girlfriend and discovered it was't the most comfortable vehicle to have sex in. So I got myself a job delivering pizzas in my Le Car and by the end of the school year I'd saved up $2,500; just enough to trade it in for an 85 S15 Jimmy 4x4. Not only did the Jimmy provide ample space for a much greater exploration of the Kama Sutra it's off road capabilities made for excellent access to more secluded make out spots. Those were the days.
Alittle too much info there dude!
The LeCar was my first car...bought it new from the local AMC dealer. I loved it, was reliable and put alot miles on it.
Renault was in the U.S. in the 60's with the Dauphine and other models too!
I spent a lot of my youth in the backseat of one of these. My grandmother had a new frog green/baby diarrhea tan ‘78 LeCar (R5). It was a very unusual car to see in rural NC in the 1970’s. She would drive the snot out that thing on curvy mountain roads, even getting the inside front wheel hopping while accelerating around corners. CB radio’s were big at the time when traveling. Her CB handle was “The French Connection”. Good memories
My Sunday school teacher in Pennsylvania,still a friend to this day,had one in the early to mid 80s. He drives a manual Mini Cooper now,his second Mini Cooper! 😍😍
I had mine in NC as well. Lots of stares, it was great for Parkway driving. throw back the ragtop and blast Caves of Altimira. Good Times
I had an 1980. Same color and cladding w/o the sunroof. Back when the speed limit was 55mph, I garnered 44mpg on long trips.
It was fun. Wish I still had one.
What a beautifully maintained Le Car! I am so envious! Lucky owner.
I owned one in 80. Added a bike rack to the back and moved (with all my meager stuff) to Cali in it. If you tucked yourself behind the draft of a transfer truck you could really motor down the interstate at a pretty good clip. The rag top however was an easy entry point for thieves. I lost 2 aftermarket stereos that way. Traded for a Ford Courier after about 3 years. I loved that little silver bullet though.
Even in France you almost never see this car and in such an incredible shape.
Or England...but in the 70s,80s & 90s they were on EVERY street!
Back in the early 90's, one-by-one I bought a total of 5 Le Cars, all on the cheap, $200 or less. The first one was the only one I got very many miles out of (8000 miles) before rust forced me to move on to another one. Never got that many miles out of the rest, but I loved every one of them. They didn't sell all that many here in the US, but worldwide, they sold over 5 million of the buggers.
Very nice specimen! I saw a lot of these in my high school and college years. The earlier versions (1976 - 80) were fitted with US-spec round sealed beam headlights. Very ugly compared to models sold in Europe. The US versions converted to rectangular sealed beam headlights for 1981. The front end looked better. A four-door model was added to the lineup, also. I really liked the Le Car (Renault 5) and considered buying one (new) when I graduated from college. I liked the 3 door styling, the fuel economy, and the ride. However, lackluster crash test results pointed me in other directions. Maintaining one of these cars today would be a real challenge because replacement parts are scarce. Excellent video!!
But even when they got rectangular headlights in the US,they were still sealed beam type,not flush composite headlights like in Europe,which always looked even better!
Can confirm that's a genuine 80's french car.
It's not the kind of cars you like in the US, so I get the reputation it has (plus it's name), but if you didn't hate it then you'll like your trop to France considering the car's I have here for you to review ;)
I had (one of) its turbocharged version in 1990-1992 : the Renault 5 Alpine Turbo (known in the UK as the R5 Gordini Turbo) : a heavy as hell steering due to its bigger tires, a very optimistic brake system (I even made an unvoluntary 360 in a highway tunnel on wet road!), a turbo lag as long as a cold and rainy day BUT if I had to choose between all the cars I had, I'd gladly take this crazy tiny tin box because, damn, it's a helluva living, funny and cool _boîte à bonheur!_
Side note : it's a funny coincidence you have almost the same name (at least phonetically) than a famous 90's French TV host : Jacques Pradel.
This exact car in red was my first car! Was our family’s first ‘second cat’ that got passed down to me when I got my license in HS. It was really fun to drive…until it wasn’t 😂 It just kept breaking down towards the end, so unfortunately it’s been sold. Would love to sit in one again!
I have an inexplainable attraction to these. I saw them around pretty frequent in the 80s so I believe they sold in fairly decent numbers even here in the USA. However Renault did not arrive here in the 70s. They arrived in the 1950s right around the same time Volkswagen did.Renault held them record for number of units sold in the USA for an imported cars first year- a record they held onto until Hyundai came along for the 1986 model year.
Yes! Renaults were actually sold in the USA for about 4 decades,and with their partnership w/ AMC ,actually built several French developed & designed Renault models for about a decade or so from the early 80s until the early 90s....even though towards the end they were badged as Eagles,as were some Mitsubishis.
She is beautiful... My mother had one from 1972 and one from 1976, of course, they were not identical to those intended for the American market, the bumpers were less bulky and the headlights were not recessed in a chrome hubcap, they didn't have those seats either, but simplistic seats without headrests, nor the side marker lights either. Rust was a huge concern especially on the rear fenders and all models over 5 years old ended up with holes 15cm in circumference. Here in France, the R5 (pronounced "Air thank") were in all the streets in countless numbers. Thank you for this nice video.
Valéry from Lille, North of France.
Elle est magnifique... Ma mère en a eu une de 1972 et une de 1976, bien sur, elles n'étaient pas identiques à celles destinées au marché Américain, les pare-chocs étaient moins volumineux et les phares avant n'étaient pas encastrés dans un enjoliveur chromé, elles n'avaient pas non plus ces sièges là mais des sièges simplistes sans appui-têtes, ni non plus les feux latéraux de gabarit. La rouille était un énorme souci surtout aux ailes arrières et tous les modèles de plus de 5 ans finissaient avec des trous de 15 cms de circonférence. Ici en France, les R5 (prononcez "Air thank") étaient dans toutes les rues en nombre incalculable. Merci pour cette belle vidéo.
Valéry de Lille, Nord de la France.
Je suis de Bordeaux, France.
Pour moi, c'était une automobile d'occasion... Je n'ai jamais eu l'occasion de monter à son bord, mais jeune, il y en avait partout, surtout sa remplaçante la Super 5, même plateforme que la Renault 11 ( Renault Alliance).
Aujourd'hui, elles sont devenues rares en France.
I am from Bordeaux, France. For me, it was a used car... I never had the opportunity to ride in it, but when I was young, they were everywhere, especially its replacement, the Super 5, same platform as the Renault 11 (Renault Alliance). Today, they have become rare in France
I had a friend in high school who ended up with one new. His dad had an AMEX gold card an you had to spend so much to keep it, so at the end of the year he bought one on the card to keep his status and gave it to my friend. It was a real hoot to ride around in, especially with the sardine can top rolled back. I remember going to see him in college. his dorm room was a converted student lounge with double sliding doors on the ground floor so he kept it in his actual room to avoid parking too far away.
i would like to make a petition for Zack coming to Europe and reviewing euro cars
I'll be the first to sign. That's the end goal of my channel - to bring viewers cars from all corners of the earth!
@@ShootingCars personally i have 2 japanese cars and am planning on buying mercedes benz clk in future if you ever happen to be in georgia (country), will be happy to give you the keys man.
@@lukaesitashvili9131 Submit them to Zackpradel.com/submit so I can get you in the system and I can let you know when I plan that!
@@ShootingCars will be waiting for that!
Actually, in french, "car" means a travel bus, with rows and rows of seats. I think it's been used here in English, car, to market it as a ... car.
The french for car is "voiture", if you wonder
I had a Le'Car. It was pretty much identical to this one .Got it when I was a teenager. It was loads of fun to drive. Very comfy car and I am and was 6'2'' I. l went to the gas station maybe once a month.Ive had lots of cars over the years . But I kinda regret getting rid of this one. All around great car for the money . Should I mention I only paid 150.00 for mine used . It was the 80s...
From 1978 to the mid-80's I sold Renaults and Mazdas and for a time owned a 1976 Le Car. What I loved about the car most were the seats and the incredible torsion bar suspension which gave the car amazing vertical wheel travel. You could drive the thing at breakneck speed over potholes and dips and barely feel it. I had a buddy who worked at the VW/Peugeot dealership in town and he always used to brag about the superiority of the VW Rabbit over the Le Car (they certainly sold more that was for sure). Near the dealership was an intersection with a deep dip so I challenged him to a competition where I knew the Le Car was unbeatable. We would drive each car through aforesaid intersection at 45 mph and see which suspension was superior. We took the Le Car over the dip first at 45 mph and the result was a moderately loud, "thump - thump". However, when we drove the Rabbit over the dip at 45 mph, the result was "Bam!!!!!!" We thought sure we had broken something in the front suspension. Fortunately, we were able to have a mechanic at the VW store put it on the lift and check it out and thankfully it was fine. The Le Car was an amazing fun car to be sure.
These cars basically just rotted into the ground, never saw one in such good shape
In my country they are, just not this first series... You can find one from the 90s. :) Drop by buddy, you may like it.
My 80 le car had leather holding the exhaust to the car
@@josborn321 Great solution. :) Drop by buddy, you may like it.
Already subscribed. :) Great video. 80s cars were perfect. Even though I remember better the 90s, still love the 80s. :) Keep going.
I remember these from the 70's and 80's...I didn't think any were still around!
There are about 800 registered Renaults in the US. Super rare these days
I had this exact car. Same year and color. The brother of a friend of mine owned it and drove it for about 32K miles and just didn't want it anymore. In about 1988, he sold it to me for $300 and it was absolutely immaculate. Like new. But, it was SLOW, and I was young and stupid, so I drove it for a summer and then sold it. I sure wish I had just mothballed it someplace. At $300, even at the time, it was basically a "free" car to me. It sure would be a fun weekend cruiser to have now...
En France il y avait 3 modèles aux tops . La version Alpine (atmosphérique et tubo). La version Tubo (Turbo 1 et turbo 2). Et la version TX, très luxueuses, vitres électriques, boîte automatique, sièges velours et jantes alu... Elle elle me faisait tourner la tête... Mais à mon époque, c'était déjà des vieilles occasions souvent rincer....
In France there were 3 top models. The Alpine version (atmospheric and tubo). The Tubo version (Turbo 1 and turbo 2). And the TX version, very luxurious, electric windows, automatic transmission, velor seats and aluminum rims... It made my head spin... But in my time, they were already old used ones that were often washed out...
I owned one brand new in 1978. You're a bit off on the Renault History. Renault entered the USA right after WWII. They did very well in the fifties and early 60's competing against the VW, They were the Second largest importer into the USA. Thru the late 60's and early 70's they developed a bad reputation on quality, simply put, their cars weren't designed well for the USA Market....Same as Japanese cars but where the Japanese fixed their issues, the Frenchwell stayed French and didn't assimilate well into the USA causing sales declines. The LeCar wasn't even offered by AMC until 1981 and only offered by AMC for 5 model years, 1981 thru 1985. 1976 thru 1980 The R5 LeCar was sold by Renault dealer and did reasonably well. The American marketing of the car was done by the French, they named it LeCar in the USA, but also incorporated the R5 badges. My car was a 1978 Renault R5GTL "LeCar". I still one one today. Additionally AMC didn't desolve or fail or go bankrupt, they simply merged into Chrysler. The AMC shareholders approved the deal and AMC Jeep Renault became the Jeep Eagle Division of Chrysler. Chrysler needed AMC's design expertise and technology besides also needing production capacity and the Jeep Brand and the 2000 USA dealers. It's all documented in the book "The Last American CEO' by Joe Cappy, the last CEO of American Motors.
Super rare and super awesome! Have been looking forward to this one
I owned the 1982 version. It was fun to drive and never got stuck in the snow. Very small inside and if someone hit you, well you prob wouldnt survive since no air bags were in it.
Subscribed ;) Around 1991 in Portugal, two brothers had one '5' (the European model name) almost unused in their mother's garage. One day, they decided to take the thing for a joy ride and at night we followed those brothers - who told us they planned to do donuts and other idiocies with a car not very difficult to roll-over. The chosen place was a motorway under construction, still without the tarmac, only dirt. What I recall is those clowns laughing their socks off as the car was rocking left and right and lifting piles of dust, the only thing visible were the taillights in the distance. Suddenly everyone listened to the sound of an engine revving, a dry crash sound, taillights and headlights off and silence... The '5' was wheels up, the roof caved in and the rear hatch wide open and yes, the brothers still laughing!
Renault had a longer presence in the US and sold more models here than you think. I'm not familiar with the pre-1970s models other than the Dauphine, but as of the early 1970s and up,i recall we had:
R17 (?) coupe
R5/LeCar
18i sedan and Sportwagon
Fuego sport coupe
R9/Alliance sedan and its R11/Encore counterpart
R21/Medallion sedan and wagon
Renault was also very innovative in the early 1980s in introducing the first key fob based remote lock/unlock...tech that we then enjoyed from other brands for the next several decades.
Yes! My friend in Pennsylvania had a cool 5 speed 1984 Fuego! Loved that car! 😍😍
The Eagle Premier was a Canadian built Renault,too. Encores & Alliances were built in the US....called Renault 9s & 11s,& think. All three were obviously also built in France...i think the Eagle Premier was called Renault 25 in Europe.
I did´t know the Renault 5 was called Le Car there in the USA. That was my dad´s first car
The Renault 5 was a huge deal for France and Renault and way more than a cheap throw away car. I would love to see one again.
I had one of these in the mid-80s and loved it. You sir just compared it to a Yugo, how fucking dare you.
It was fun to see Yugo take a drive in LeCar.
Great video, fun car. BTW, AMC isn't American Motor Cars, it's American Motors Corporation. Oh, and it's traditionally pronounced reh-NOH, which the accent on the second syllable. Nice to see young people discovering our ancient artifacts though. I feel like an ancient Egyptian watching the National Geographic channel!
Imagine trying to find wheels for 3x something metric. Glad you got to drive a new make.
The only tires left are snow tires
3x100 I think. I know later Renault were 4x100, so 3x100 makes sense (french here btw)
Have to have a look at Alpine wheels
I had this model in 91. Memories.
This was a trip for me. I owned a red 1980 Le Car that I bought used in 1983. Drove it until about 1990. It was fun to drive and had great fuel economy. But I could list a dozen really bad design ideas that gave me problems. Those metal hinges that hold the side pop out windows kept coming unglued. The exhaust pipe is positioned right under the driver’s seat, in the path of spray from the front wheel, and it rusted out every couple of years. When the engine valve cover leaks, it drips right onto the belt and pulley causing it to slip, heat & snap. The voltage regulator on the alternator kept going bad. On and on.
i bought a 78 leftover in 79 for $4200.Drove it for 14 years and a hundred and forty thousand miles.I loved it!I looked after it and replaced the usual stuff.....belts, hoses etc.The twin choke Weber carb needed attention now and then. It was quirky.The car handled and the ride was surprisingly good The California version tended to run on the hot side. One day all the warning lights came on and it was blowing smoke through the heater vents so it was " goodnight' and I sold it for fifty bucks.No regrets. Happy days.
First time i hear the 5 called Le Car
Don't ever lose that gas cap.
They also made a turbo FWD model but it's super, super rare. Tyrrels classic workshop just did a video on it.
It is important to know that this car was released in 1973. Compare it to basic American cars of its era, and you will be surprised how well designed this car was. I'm in Canada and I had two. a 78 and an 84... recently I had a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. My two Renaults have been more reliable than my Chevrolet. Please note...I am from Quebec. I speak French. The car means ''L'auto ou la voiture'' here the word ''LE'' means that you have superior THE in English. it's French humor. It's a bit like when you say ''Bonne apétis'' with a French accent.
There was a five door Le Car in my grandparents' condo complex. I think it's the only five door Le Car I've ever seen. The rest were three doors.
So much more on the Renault in the US story. Renault had been in the US in VERY small numbers from early on through the 50's-60's through to the late 80's. The Renault/AMC partnership was interesting to say the least. Renault wanted AMC for Jeep and the dealer network in the USA. But with no support/parts/training of technicians/etc. the inevitable happened and Chrysler bought out AMC for Jeep as well. Remember this phrase and apply it to all things French - The French copy no one and no one copies the French.
"With every new model, the French have an inclination to redesign the automobile as a concept"
-Paraphrasing an American mechanic who worked on a Fuego.
A buddy of mine had one of these in high school. We busted his stones about his tiny car, but at least he had one. I remember fitting 4 high school boys in there without a problem.
Good and funny review! Incredible good condition, knowing that all Renaults of this area were beginning to rust "even on the sales brochure" (old Dad's joke !😁)
Note: this is the first car in the world to have integral plastic bumpers. The design dates from the end of the 60's and the commercialization in 1972. FwD + hatchback + bumpers, we can say that it laid the foundations of the modern super mini car... finally at the avant-garde! IMO the US name is "ridiculous"..the closest french translation would be "The Voiture"
Those tires are so narrow. I also love that the spare is in the engine compartment.
If you ever get to NJ You should contact Steven Radavonovich that has an Encore
Seems a guy from Ex Yugoslavia. Just I think so. :) Can check my content.
Steven is awesome! His Encore was on Regular Car Reviews.
@@obscurerides Yeah he’s a good dude. And yes his car was on regular car reviews
I would love a beat up lil LeCar Sport to save up and mildly modify! Would be a dynamic obscure car duo alongside my 1978 Dodge Challenger!
REN-o is correct! However,I am quite sure in the 50s & 60s & maybe early 70s,they were marketed as Re-NOLTS in the US,then Ren-NOSE in the late 70s & 80s!
Maybe later you can get to review a Renault 5 GT Turbo, the hot hatch performance version of this car. Renault (pronounced Ren-oh) made it with a turbo 1.4 litre 4-cylinder engine that put out 118 horsepower and 121 pound feet of torque, able to do 0-60 miles per hour in 8 seconds. Maybe not impressive by today's standards, but back then it sure was. The rare R5 made 158 hp and 163 pound feet of torque - not bad for such a small, light car. I think these cars were better suited to narrow, crowded streets of European cities like Paris, France. Totally different driving environment and expectations then in the US, hence the reason for poor US sales. I'm sure a true Renault enthusiast could chime in with more details.
Was big when first came out were everywhere then gone saw one in a used car lot that looked like a small gas station apropret 😮
I bought one of these Le Cars back in the early 1980s. It was used and I don't remember what year it was. I bought it from a car dealership that was not a Renault dealer. That car would constantly run the battery down. It had some kind of motor/fan that would run after you turn the engine off. It would constantly run the battery down. New battery would not work. It got to the point where I'd take a terminal off the battery to keep it from running that fan. This was long time ago but I often wondered what was wrong with that car. The places I took it to had no idea but I never looked for a Renault dealer. Could it have been the thermostat?
Thanks Zack, I really enjoyed watching this!…easy going, and funny.
There was actually an older version in the late 60s that was just Called an L5
My mom had one of these back in the 80's. I don't remember what year it was.
Saw one burning oil once back in the 1980s. Pepe Le'Car.
Great vid, great car! If you want to see another quirky renault based on the wee 5, check out the Renault "Siete", a sedan version built only in Spain.
Cool! I didn't know Renault España made a sedan/saloon version! I never ever noticed them on holidays to España!
Pronunciation of Le in French is "luh", rhymes with huh or the. Pronouncing it "Lay" would imply "Les," which is the plural.
I had one exactly like it except it was blue.
I would buy another one to restore if I could find one.
5:00 Ain't no "coupe" - it's a three door hatchback.
Man, small cars from especially that era really hammer home the point how huge cars have become these days. OG Mini vs new "Mini", VW Golf and Polo, OG Fiat 500 vs the current 500 - even the supposedly small(-ish) cars are so much bigger today. On the one hand, this isn't a bad thing, seeing how you'd probably be able to walk away from a crash in a modern mini/small car that could have crippled or killed you in a comparable car of 70s/80s vintage. On the other hand, I do miss how these things would give you lots more feedback and how much more direct they felt. You just had to remember that you were running on skinny tires whose rubber wasn't nearly as grippy as today's tires, that your brakes were laughably weak - and that the crumple zone was probably your body and not the car's. :D
I grew us with these my dad has one with a alpine 5 speed and a archer brothers race cam with some head work done it’s not fast but definitely a fun car to drive
There are the R5 here and her concurrent the Peugeot 205 Jr or the GTI one !
Cool, my Dad had a Turbo one in the 80s
Its the car from dude, where’s my car?
Exactly what I was thinking 😂
I used to see those around New York City when I was a kid
Renaults were ever sold in the US? I didn't know that
Back when Renault was good
Still well sold in a lot of countries
So cool looking. ❤
i can buy one really cheap where I live, but I've never driven a 43 years old car, so i'm not that sure.
For the aesthetic and simplicity of the car, i'm sure i will have a great time, but dont know how reliable it would be
am i the only one who thinks My Name Is Earl whenever they see or hear about a Renault LeCar?
Renault may not be sold in the US anymore But every Nissan sold today has that renault influence due to the fact that Nissan has been under renault since the late 90s. The original nissan versa was actually designed by renault. The other reason why renault left the US market because Chrysler only wanted AMC because of Jeep.
Renault ABSOLUTELY RUINED Nissan. The difference in the quality of my ALL NISSAN Pickup Truck to the 2004 and 2005 Nissan Frontiers was light years apart. The 2004 had body quality issues. The 2005 had transmission issues. Like everything in American and Japanese vehicles the French touch. The French ruin.
I'm quite curious as to why you lay the blame on Renault for the transmission issues on your "ALL NISSAN" truck. Just an FYI, the transmission was made by JATCO, which is jointly owned by Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki. Renault had no input on the design, which was already underway at the time of the Renault/Nissan alliance.
Unlike many other JATCO transmissions, the model installed in 05 Frontiers are actually quite reliable.
You blame the french, but I'd be willing to bet that the issues resulted from failing to follow the recommended maintenance schedule.
Did the 1983 Reanult Le Car come with a gentle chime or a scary buzzer?
my uncle sewed two bad Le Cars together to make one good one... then he flipped it to a guy he knew, who crashed it into a wall
How did this not rust away
Many people say they wish to go back to the 80s. They won't last a week cause they have to remember phone numbers.
That’s really super
Another fun fact: to be more linguistically correct (though still an anglicism) it should have been "LA car" (not LE Car). In French, all nouns take on a gender, so anything "male" is identified as "le" and if feminine with "la." The correct English to French translation for "The car" is actually "la voiture" (note the use of "la" and not "le"). Though "car" could be thought of a bus in French, I'd say the more correct word is "autocar" in France. In French Canadian it's "autobus" - go figure! I guess it just sounded better to English speakers to call it "Le Car". BTW, you're pronouncing "le" the Spanish way, like "lay" - it should be more like "luh". There's not exact sound in English, but think of the "uh" in the word "put." But wait, there's more... a French-Canadian slang word (a gallicism) for "the car" is "le char" (pronounced "shahr") which is a butchered way of trying to say "car" in French with a French accent, so I guess, going by that, "LE" Car could be correct, though this car is from France where that slang word is not used.
It’s Renault LaCinq in Québec, Canada.
@@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY Merci! I should have known that, I used to live in Québec, but in the 2000s, long after these cars were common sights on the roads.
Too bad you failed to research the history of Renault here in the states. Been here since the 60's and imported some wonderful other models, 12, 15, 17 Gordini.
Good to know! I was only aware of their 70s and 80s models, and connection to AMC
They were here in the fifties, as well, with the 4CV, Dauphine, Caravelle - Transitioning to the sixties with the R-8, R-10 and the R-16. In addition to the 12, 15, 17 and Gordini, Renault exported the Fuego, and the 18i. Renault was on the cusp of introducing the Premier, built in Canada in a new plant built by AMC. Part of the Chrysler purchase of AMC included the new plant and car, now branded as Eagle. Renault Medallion was imported here toward the end of their association with AMC - the Medallion was also re-branded as an Eagle. Also note that the Renault 9 was built here in the United States under the name Alliance.
I am also disappointed with the reviewer not researching the history of Renault here in the United States. Despite that, I liked the review. It may have been a bit light in some respects, but I imagine that the review was intended as entertainment, not as an overly serious review of a pretty neat little ride. (Disclaimer, I've owned a LeCar, a pair of Alliances, and an Eagle Premier sporting an AMC/Renault build tag.)
Comparing a Renault 5 to a Yugo, and then driving around Florida on a sunny day without opening that beautiful cloth sunroof ?
Perhaps cars aren't your thing.
Have you considered electric skateboards ?
Renault sold many more in the USA then 3 models
1973-1977 R8 Alpine
1977-1983 r5
1983-1994 Alliance
1983-1989 Sport Wagon (really fast and drove very well all fuel injected 2.2l )
1983-1989 Fago
1990-1992 Alliance GTA (very very fast it was a turn key SCCA alpine Grand Touring race car in everyway that you could drive to work and race on the weekend. I personal hold a hill climb record in 4 cycle naturally aspirated CLAss and a GTA fastest lap in 1991 at Wakins Glenn as well as fastest stage in class in 91 at Wellsbro )
These cars are all very special to me and @John Fogal
Renault Le Car there are like very little of them in USA.
omg I'd love a Le car to park right next to my Yugo. lol
I talked to matt (the owner) about your Yugo! Maybe one day!
Cool 😎
That was Ali G car and I seen a lot those renaults in Mexico
War mein erstes Auto ❤
Sledgehammer Le Car with 160 HP Alpine turbo cup engine. Let's say 130 mph.
Nissan should bring these cars back with Renault flavor. Maybe a reboot of the NX or 200sx.
Is the car for sale?
you spelled renault right as "reno" good job
Got my stickers in.
ua-cam.com/video/J1uW3kzn-YI/v-deo.html Zach herses the video.
I owed an 83 … i have Archer Bros head and header…. … find a GTA and drive it
Three lug nuts because four was too many, and two wasn't enough.
So this wasn’t a import? It was sold in the us?? I never new Renault sold cars in the US
Le Car! Not Les Car!
I le remember those lecars when I was le kid. I always thought they were le ugly.
Now that's a rare car, and mint too. It's nicer than I thought, maybe because it's not roached out. Technically because French is a gendered language it should be La Car, or La Voiture if you're directly translating The Car. French cars are cool because they aggressively do things their own way whether it actually makes sense or not. Old Peugeots are pretty conventional, Renault did a little experimenting, and Citroen just did whatever whimsical idea they came up with.
You should make a video on American Motors' partnership with Renault. The AMC-built Renaults were actually pretty good for the era and kept AMC in business for a few more years. Very few have survived. My 80s Jeep's manual has stamps from an AMC/Jeep/Renault dealer and Renault part numbers.
SHIBBY!!!!