In the States this vehicle known as Le Car dominated the 1977 SCCA Showroom Stock class C division and gained added notoriety when La Conner Washington police department traded in one of its full size cruisers for three Le Cars.
In 1980 three time world champion Sir Jack Brabham was persuaded to come out retirement for the first time in 10 years to take part in a British Saloon Car Championship race at Brands Hatch which took place on the same day as the British Grand Prix.
Though the car was giving away 200 cc 12 cui to the class leading Toyotas VWs and Audi 80's prepared by GTi Engineering, one of which was driven by the equally recently out of retirement Stirling Moss, it must be assumed that Black Jack was game for a laugh with his old sparing partner from the late 50's early 60's.
The Renault was woefully uncompetitive having neither the power or the handling to keep up with the class leading Audis but come race day Sir Jack Brabham had an ace up his sleeve, falling further and further behind the pack on the long Brands Grand Prix Circuit much to the amusement and in full view of 80,000 spectators Jack decided to take a 1 mile short cut by using the club circuit link road and so finished ahead of Stirling Moss on the road even though he was of course obviously disqualified.
Hope you have enjoyed today's Black Jack edition of 'Gettin a lil' psycho on tyres and that you will join me tomorrow for a 6 cylinder edition tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !
I think they sold a lot of those in the US. It was kind of like the Yugo, it came and went.
ReplyDeleteLove your perspective JC thanks ! :-)
ReplyDeleteTrue story - my mother owned the Renault Le Car and it was and still is the most favorite car she ever owned. It wasn't the 'best' car so she didn't own it a long time, but she still has the fondest memories of it.
ReplyDeleteI called it "the roller skate"!
Thanks, Art!
Glad I am not the only one to have fond memories of Le Car Chief :-)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved reading your blog post about the iconic duo, Black Jack and Le Car - the Renault 5! It's always a treat to delve into the rich history of classic cars, and you've done an excellent job capturing the essence of these two remarkable vehicles. By the way, for those who are as passionate about classic cars as I am, if you're in Sydney and looking to buy or sell classic cars, don't forget to check out Cash for Cars Removal Sydney (unwanted car). They have a great reputation for providing top-notch service in the world of car buying and selling.
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