The dream car of the late Christian de Léotard became a reality, only to go up in flames in 2002 in a fire of suspicious origin. Thus, the unique Renault 5 Turbo with six wheels and two engines has since become an “automotive legend” to be remembered in respect for its creator, who passed away 11 years ago.
Christian de Léotard began his career as an automotive engineer alongside Pierre Tissier, who is notably known for the elongated Citroën DS with six wheels (ambulance, tow truck, Penthouse, etc.). In 1980, after creating his company ADPL (Application Des Procédés Léotard), the French genius participated in the Dakar Rally with a first R5 with six wheels, developed with the support of the company Sinpar, specializing in all-wheel-drive transmissions. Upon his return from Africa, Christian de Léotard launched his incredible project to design a Renault 5 Turbo with six wheels. As mentioned in the introduction, after the photos illustrating this article (urbex type) were taken, what remained of this Renault 5 Turbo was sent to the junkyard to be crushed. Today, the electric Renault 5, named “Renault 5 E-Tech electric”, begins its commercial career.
Equipped with two engines, one at the front, another at the rear, and two synchronized gearboxes, this Renault 5 Turbo with six wheels was seen in Paris in the 80s. According to sources close to the de Léotard family, the R5 Turbo with six wheels was indeed functional. It was supposed to be displayed in a Renault dealership in Paris, but that apparently never happened…
This R5, long before the new 2024 Renault 5 E-Tech electric, ended up in a garage in Nevers, to copy its bodywork using molding techniques. The idea was to produce about ten copies of the car. The rest… you already know. The fire devastated this model, which was clearly part of French automotive heritage. Looking closely at the photos, one can even notice that the front-left wheel is not the original one. Did criminals try to move the car before or after the disaster?
Finally, in this abandoned urbex location, other cars might be waiting to be taken to the junkyard, like, for example, a Toyota Celica.
The editorial team
Photos: Quentin Pannaud (No Man’s Land – Urbex)
