| Current Owner: | Andrew (User:r5gordini)
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| Registration Number: | A162 MRU
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| Country Registered In: | UK
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| Year of First Registration: | 1984
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| Colour: | White
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| Renault Colour Code(e.g. 720): | 355
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| VIN Number: | not supplied
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| Number of doors (3/5): | 5
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| Current Odometer Reading: | 55,000 miles
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| Odometer Read on: | Sept 2007
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| Last Seen/Known: | 2008
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A162 MRU Photo Albums
[edit] A162 MRU History
[edit] 1992 to 2001
I inherited this car from my grandfather when I was 15, in 1992. It then had 16759 miles on the clock (I still remember that exact figure as it is etched on my memory from the times I sat in the car waiting to drive it until I was 17)!
The car is a 5 door 1984 Renault 5 TL 1108cc "Le Car 2".
As I got close to my 17th birthday, I did some work on the car but not much. All of a sudden its MOT (roadworthiness test) was due and so we checked everything over and got it tested. It passed with no problems - quite a feat for a car that had been standing for some time! So I drove the car for the first time on my 17th birthday.
It was not long before I began to improve the car beyond its original specification. First I replaced the wheels with some alloys from a R5 Gordini. Then I replaced the front bumper with one from a R5 Gordini Turbo. I painted it white to match the body colour of the car, but unfortunately within a few months all the paint fell off! I fitted electric windows and the dashboard instruments from a Renault 5 Gordini Turbo.
After 18 months of a bumper that looked pretty awful, I decided to have the car resprayed. I was also dissatisfied with the rest of the paint - the front of the bonnet was getting a little stonechipped and the paintwork was rather marked and dull. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to obtain new decals - the "Le Car 2" logos on the front of the bonnet and the rear of the car and also the pinstripes down the side of the car. I took the car to "Classic and Vintage Restorations" in Ashford, Kent, England. They carried out the following work:
- Take off the front bumper, bead blast it, prime and paint it with high plasticiser content paint.
- Remove all the "parking dents" and other small dents.
- Remove: Windscreens, trim, sunroof, etc.
- Spray the car in two-pack in the original colour, including inside the doors and round the door shuts, inside the bonnet and as much of the engine compartment as possible.
- Make brand new decals (from scratch!) for the car and apply them.
- Put the car back together!
I fitted a Weber 32 DIR carburettor to the car. I am unsure as to whether it makes a great deal of difference to the performance of the car. However, low-speed pickup does seem a little better, and the engine seems more flexible.
[edit] 2002 to 2004
Update - May 2002: I have not driven the car since August 2001. It is still in exceptional condition, though needs a small amount of welding to make it pristine. The car does not have an MOT, but should be roadworthy. I started the engine this month and it ran fine.
Update - 2004: I took the car to be filmed for a Court TV reconstruction of the assassination of an IRA terrorist. I got to play the assassin! I shot the terrorist, and then sped off on the back of a motorbike. Trouble is, I never got to see the footage, as it's only been shown in the US so far. The car passed its MOT first time, after fitting a new battery - not bad after sitting idle for nearly three years.
[edit] 2007 ->
Update - February 2007: The car has again sat idle since 2004. I'm getting it ready to run again, removing the Weber carburettor and replacing it with the original. I'll also replace the tyres and check out the brakes. Looking forward to driving it soon!
Update - 22nd May 2007: Roadworthy!
See photos here: Elle Roule
Blog entry here: After 3 Years-in-Hibernation White Renault 5 TL is Roadworthy
