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A French chemical company delivered the material in 1,500 kg rolls to Renault's Dreux factory in watertight containers so as to keep 'It fresh. The material contained 35% glass fibre and 65% impregnation paste. The stuff was unrolled, and the rough shapes were cut out. These were then put in the presses and moulded at a pressure of 70kg/cm2. The operation was carried out at 150'C to cure the material. The bumpers, or shields, as Renault called them, were self-coloured in a neutral grey shade. One of their great merits was their unusually large area, whereby they gave extra protection to the bodywork.
Safety had been a primary factor in the design of the R5. Active safety features included the inherent qualities of the front-wheel drive, good visibility, large head-lights, high comfort factor and excellent braking. Passive safety features included progressive crushability of the structure, embodying a very rigid central area; seat belt anchor points for rear as well as front; many interior safety features including padded and collapsible parts, universally-jointed steering column, safety glass, non-injurious switches, handles, etc.
The fascia was of a scientific design, plastics being used creatively and not in imitation of traditional materials. The casing, which was shallow for good visibility, was made from ABS plastic with a soft coating. The instrument panel was connected to the electrical harness by a single multi-pin connector. A printed circuit on flexible plastic was used, and all warning bulbs were easily detachable. The speedometer cable had a bayonet fixing and everything was easily removable. The seating was not blatantly luxurious, although the car shown at Earls Court had seats upholstered in somewhat garish orange PVC-looking very much like what used to be called patent leather. The seats were supposed to be anatomically designed. Maybe they were, but whose anatomy did they use? It has always been agreed that the seat backs were too short and that for some people, the thighs were not supported adequately. But they were good seats in.every other way, and the back bench scat was very good. The R5 was not a true five-seater but one could squeeze three moderate-sized people into the back. The two side doors were very wide and gave relatively easy access to the rear compartment. The head lining was said to be technically advanced, 'In being a compressed-fibre sheet glued direct to the roof panel-applied, 'in fact by a kind of robot. It was a sandwich of several materials with high damping properties; mechanically, acoustically and thermally. But a folding sun roof was an optional extra.
The new cars, in both L and TL form, were well equipped. Even the 850 had the full heating/ventilation equipment, interior courtesy light, two-speed wipers, electric washers, anti-theft steering lock, headlamp flasher, twin sun visors, underbody protective spray, rubber boot mat, etc. In addition, the R5 TL had the heated rear window, 'Individual reclining front seats, front armrests, rear ashtrays and a vanity mirror for the front passenger. The heating system was not the car's best feature; to keep warm on a cold day, you had to keep the fan on the faster of the two ratings for a fair time, then on the lower rating. If the fan was not switched on, the car never became very warm. Some owners even went to the extent of fabricating a small air-fan to fix on the bonnet air inlet. The R5 always had a tendency to mist up, like many small saloons and particularly hatchbacks, and it would be just as likely to happen in Morden as in Morbihan. |
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