All Original 22K-Mile

Manifactured from 1972 until 1985, the Renault 5 is one of the most successful compact cars of the 1970s and '80s, directly competing with the Volkswagen Rabbit/Golf and similar hatchbacks.

Despite its worldwide success, the Renault 5 was never a success stateside, unable to compete with V8-powered luxo cruisers. Few were sold, even fewer survived.

The car offered for adoption here must be one of the finest survivors of its kind in the entire country.

VIN *VF1AA22B3D0703107* was manufactured in January of 1983, shipped to the United States, and then first sold on August 12, 1983. It's one of the very last Renaults ever registered new in the land of the Brave and the Free.

This is a documented 1-owner California car that comes with the original, small "pink slip" in the original owner's name.

Since the owners could pick from no less than 5 vehicles, the LeCar was used only sparingly throughout the years and hibernated for many years before it was revived.

It still carries its original blue-and-yellow California license plate. The registration has been paid 'til August of 2023.

The mileage shown on the 6-digit odometer, 022,469, is the original mileage this car has traveled in 40 years! The Carfax history report shows it slowly rising throughout the years as the car needed to pass the California Smog Check every 24 months.

Weighing just 1,865 lbs in Deluxe guise, the Renault 5 LeCar is a lightweight, comfortable, responsive, and fun to drive. Just like the original Mini, it's bigger inside than outside. I'm 6'6" tall and I sit very comfortable in it. Visibility is excellent as well, thanks to plenty of glass all around.

Most cars have 5 lug wheels, a few 4 lugs. Have you ever seen one with only 3 lugs?

Original wheels are in outstanding condition; all 4 tires in the correct dimension 145/80-13 have been recently replaced.

All of the Cinnaman metallic paint is factory original, as are the LeCar decals. Nothing has been touched up. The 40+ year-old paint is in good condition, with just some isolated cloudy spots in the clear coat of the horizontal surfaces.

Motorvation comes from Renault's 1.4-liter inline-four engine, delivering 50 horses (51PS) via a 4-speed manual transmission to the front wheels. While that may not sound like a lot by today's standards, it was sufficient for the car to dominate the SCCA "Showroom Stock Class C" class in 1977, driving circles around the competition.

This particular engine is healthy as the proverbial ox, with no issues to report other than the dry-rotted, 40 year-old spare tire. All factory labels are present. Battery is new.

Above: close-up photos of the engine compartment.
Let's move on to the interior now.

Doors, like most cavities, have been protected by factory-applied Cosmoline wax from new. There's not a hint of corrosion or damage anywhere. Door panels and storage trays are flawlessly preserved.

The R5 features a simple, yet elegant and very practical dashboard.

It is flawlessly preserved as well, with not even a hairline crack on the foam-filled dash top.

The steering wheel . . . flawless as well.

Above photos show details of the dashboard and the front interior area.

Original white headliner with diamond-pattern is also top-of-the-line. The vanity light works, of course.

Stock sun visors . . . flawless.

The entire interior, carpeting, door and side panels, upholstery, is all bone stock, 40 years old, made in France.

Front seats are flawless. There's no open seam, discoloration, or other imperfection here.

Klippan seat belts, Made in France, are original as well. The car features an interesting seat-forward mechanism: when the seat back is moved forward, the entire seat swivels, allowing for easy entry and exit.

Original carpet is just slightly darker where it was protected from UV rays by the floor mats.

Rear seat has a small area in the remote right rear corner where sunlight weakened the fabric.

All of the lights work, including the backup lights.

Let's move on to the trunk area now.

As mentioned before, this car is larger on the inside than on the outside.

A removable top shelf protects trunk contents from preying eyes.

Rear bench seat can fold forward and completely out of the way, hereby creating a substantial cargo area.

All of the trunk area presents itself in outstanding all-original condition.

The undercarriage is of reference quality, original, with no spray can artistry of any kind.

Back in 1983, the floors got a thin layer of rather glossy black paint, covered with an also rather thin layer of grayish rubberized coating. There's not a spec of corrosion here. Can you imagine how these cars transformed into nothing just a few years after exposure to harsh elements?
Not this one!

Also noteworthy are the olive-painted suspension components and the gold-cadmium plated hardware.
Front shocks are replacements; the Renault rear shocks in beautiful light green metallic are still original.

Note that the factory color markings on suspension parts and the white chalk marks on the frame are still clearly visible, after 40 years!

After a long hibernation, the car was rejuvinated in August of 2022. All fluids were changed, the fuel tank and all lines were cleaned out, new tires and a new battery were installed, and the car was smogged.

We drove the car on several occasion around town, snapping photos and video footage along the way.

LeCar starts, runs, and drives great.

The steering is tight and responsive, brakes anchor the car with authority.

Clearly, this car begs to go into a museum or collection, as it's probably the finest, lowest mileage example of its kind in the United States.
Thank you for your interest!