5 + 5: Now and then with Norev’s Renault 5.

(Find the Norev Renault 5 at the Renault Originals Store and on eBay here, and click here to browse the Mini-Jet listings)

If you can’t already tell, I don’t often get excited about new mainstream “normal” cars. We live in an era where supercar builders like Ferrari have been forced to embrace the relentless rise of the SUV, and even the smallest of hatchbacks like Toyota’s Aygo are forced into plastic clad outdoor jackets. Ford’s new Puma isn’t a sporty, eye catching 2-door like its predecessor, but another pointless, anonymous mini-SUV, and rumours are the Capri name will return only to go the same way. In the executive market BMW, Mercedes, and Audi knock out swollen, brash, and bottom-feedingly ugly SUVs and saloons and they’re lapped up. It’s rare to find a car amongst the morass that makes me actually feel something, that makes me believe that cars are still being designed to have some sort of soul and to engage actual car people rather than become the subject of bragging rights at the golf club or school gates. And it’s also rare to see manufacturers offering actual colour charts beyond black, silver, white and the same two shades of blue and red; one light, one dark. And for the love of all that is good stop with Nardo Grey already.

There are, thank god, exceptions. Renault’s new 5 E-Tech is one of them.

It’s not often that a production car stays so close to the concept, but in the case of the 5 it looks almost identical to the design study revealed in January 2021. Renault’s designers have incorporated styling cues from the original 5 and set out to create a car that is just as popular.

“The Renault 5 E-Tech electric is a cult icon redesigned for the modern age.
We pulled out all the stops for this engaging car, designed and built in France. With its cheerful design and new-generation technologies, it’s out to make electric vehicles more affordable in Europe.”

Fabrice Cambolive, Renault CEO

Business speak aside, I think the folks at Boulogne have done a brilliant job. It’s a great looking car and if I had the budget I’d have one in a heartbeat.

As it is I can only stretch to the new Norev version, available now at the Renault Originals online store.

A bit like the Norev Citroën AX released in 2021, the 5 proved to be a hard one to obtain, with the first batches selling out almost instantly. I finally managed to get mine at the start of the month and I’m very pleased with it.

It’s a great little model, not quite premium quality but then it is only €6, and I’ve seen some pretty common Hot Wheels Mainlines sell for more.

The painted head lights are nice and sharp and the tail lights are separate pieces with nice detail. The paint is very good with a brilliant shine to it and the decal work for the badges and the bonnet mounted charge indicator is decent. But it’s here where the QC starts to slip; there is some smudging evident here and there, and sadly my example is also burdened with a badly fitted side skirt. But for the price? Worth every penny.

It also gave me a perfect excuse to compare old and new and bring out my rather battered Norev Mini-Jet Renault 5.

Norev’s Mini-Jet line appeared in the 1970s when the French brand collaborated with Schuco of Germany, who allowed them to use the tooling of their 1/66 series. The first Mini-Jets were essentially re-packaged Schuco cars, even still bearing their Schuco model numbers. Later Norev began to add their own castings (such as the Ligier JS2) until 1978 when the line became comprised entirely of in-house designs. License production of the later Norev designed cars was also undertaken by Mehanotehnika of Yugoslavia, but by 1994 the Mini-Jet line had disappeared entirely.

My Renault 5 is one of the early, Schuco based cars and it’s safe to say it’s had a hard life.

The doors don’t shut properly (there’s no spring as one would expect, they were built that way) and it has a heavy amount of play wear. A gunked up interior and windows also meant that I had my work cut out cleaning this thing up. Luckily the body is simply pressed into the chassis with pegs, meaning there’s thankfully no rivets to drill out.

It’s diminutive in stature compared to the newer Norev; the 1/66 scale means the newer 5 looks rather large next to it. As for the scale of the new 5, I think it’s more likely 1/60, perhaps bigger.