Hier een aardig stukje over de GT turbo cabrio, vergeleken met een Peugeot 205 cj. Overigens kun je hierin lezen dat Renault zich toendertijd uit het project heeft teruggetrokken omdat het niet tevreden was over de kwaliteit die EBS bood.
Motor magazine, week ending August 6th 1988:
"Sunshine Desserts"
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A converted convertible or ready made rag-top? Kathy O'Driscoll compares the new Peugeot 205 CJ with a Belgian-made Renault 5 Convertible.
When is a Renault not a Renault? When it has been modified by EBS. Ernst Berg Styling, based in Belgium, will convert any three-door Renault 5 into a convertible model. I recently spent a day in the countryside sampling their version of the 5 GT Turbo and also Peugeot's new addition, the 205 CJ cabriolet. Both cars are powered by 1.4-litre engines; however, they differ in price and performance.
There is a certain amount of mystery behind the Renault conversion. A prototype first appeard on the Renault stand at Amsterdam's RAI Show in 1988, but EBS were wholly responsible, financially, for the project. In the early stages of development Renault did play a part in the tooling and homologation and Ernst Berg said that they also signed a contract in 1986 to build 10,000 cars. Berg had invested a large sum of money into the venture, but soon after Renault's chairman, Georges Besse, was assassinated, Renault pulled out. Renault say that their action was taken because they were not quite satisfied with the car's quality level when the finished result was examined. The two companies are still in dispute.
So EBS are now going it alone. Production of the convertibles began last autumn and about 500 have been built to date. Berg says that they can produce about 1500 cars a year and that 250 - 300 will be available for Britain.
At the EBS factory the 'Five' is stripped to the floorpan so that strengthening work can get under way. The front wings are reinforced, the floorpan is double-skinned in several areas, and the rear end restructured to accomodate the hood's fixtures and fittings. In fact, the only original body panels retained are the front wings and bonnet. The doors, all glazing, door casings and rear seats are redesigned components. Bearing this in mind the finished article looks very good. The lined hood fits tightly to the front screen, alleviating wind noise, and when the hood is folded down the car is a real convertible - no quarterlights or roll bar in sight. The screen pillars are braced, however, to provide roll-over protection.
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Renault 5 GT Turbo is one of the fastest small hatchbacks tested by Motor. Its powerful little engine, boosted by a Garrett T2 turbocharger, produces 120 bhp and 121 lb ft of torque, providing a 0-60 mph time of 7.4 sec. The convertible's extra weight of 58 kg will cut the performance figures slightly, but not drastically.
At town speeds I was able to have the full wind-in-the-hair treatment with all the Renault's windows lowered. At higher speeds, raising the electric front windows redirected the wind and the degree of buffeting was acceptable.
The turbo model is exhilarating to drive, and the soft-top is an added bonus. Although the driving position suited me, I think tall people might find it uncomfortable. The Renault's brakes cope very well with the car's high performance, and the light gearchange is a pleasure to use. The shell is commendably rigid, with few signs of scuttle shake. I had a nagging doubt though - was this neck-jerking little machine really safe without a tin top or roll bar? There's nothing to worry about - crash testing has proved that the extra bracing makes it 35 to 40 per cent stronger.
The hood itself is very easy to operate. Simply release two handles by the front screen and gently lower the roof into the boot area. Remarkably, with the hood erect, the Renaut 5 remains a hatchback. However, once the tonneau cover is in place the 'boot' lid barely opens. Access to the load area can only then be achieved by releasing the rear sets. Security-wise, this is not ideal but convertibles aren't noted for their high burglar resistance. The tonneau cover itself is rather lightweight, and probably will not withstand much wear and tear. A small drawback is that there is no parcel shelf, therefore road noise is more apparent. Spare parts will be available, through Radbourne Racing if, for instance, the roof is vandalised.
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The car's interior has been neatly reconstructed and new sections match up very well with the old. The only slight flaw is that the carpet is manufactured for left-hand-drive models - the tell-tale sign is the driver's heel pad on the passenger's side. This is easily concealed, however, with a set of mats.
Now down to the nitty gritty. The conversion will cost around £3300 plus VAT - the actual price depending on personal requirements. EBS have made contacts throughout Europe, and Radbourne Racing, of Wimbledon, South London (+44-181-540 9991), are the main link in the UK.
Although Berg say that details are available through all Renault dealers in the UK that still does not make it an official Renault model. The fact is that EBS has had brochures sent out to showrooms, though Renault UK are not involved. I spoke to two dealers. One referred me to Radbourne Racing, and the other said that the car was nothing to do with Renault and that the work would cancel out the warranty.
So, Radbourne Racing are the people to contact. If the car is purchased new from them they provide one year's warranty on mechanical components and a year's cover for the paintwork. On the other hand, if you present them with your six-month-old car they will only cover the roof mechanism and paintwork, and the Renault warranty becomes invalid. They will, however, advise you to take out a used car warranty with them.
Radbourne Racing will ship your car out to the EBS factory in Belgium for major surgery, and they say it can be returned within four to five weeks.
Meanwhile, The Peugeot lion has added another cub to its litter. Back in 1986, Peugeot introduced a special edition 1-litre 205 to the UK market. Called the Junior, its originality lay in its white exterior and colourful interior. In 1987, this model became a fully-fledged member of the 205 family. Now Peugeot have introduced the new 205 CJ cabriolet to their range, which neatly fills the gap for a slightly cheaper soft-top left by demise of the Talbot Samba Cabriolet.
Our test car was supplied courtesy of Peugeot dealers, McKinnons of Wallington.
The £8595 CJ has the bodyshell of the faster CTi and the trimmings of the Junior - ivory white paintwork with stripes down the sides, colour-keyed wheel trims, plus a black soft top and roll bar. As with the 205 CTi, the CJ's conversion is carried out by Pininfarino of Turin. The Cabriolet's body is put together on a robotised production line and, once painted and trimmed, returns to Peugeot's Mulhouse plant for the mechanical components to be assembled. The floorpan is substantially strengthened and box sections are inserted under the front seats and in the front of the fuel tank. Also, the windscreen frame is reinforced with steel tubes.
The 205 CJ is powered by Peugeot's 1360 cc TU engine (as used in Citroën's AX) producing 70 bhp and 82 lb ft of torque. It is very smooth running, and with the hood up, very quiet indeed. It's a vast improvement over the tappety Douvrin engine previously used in the smaller-capacity 205s, some Citroëns and the Talbot Samba.
The interior has denim-style upholstery and door trims, with multi-coloured stitching, and is not really to my taste. However, it's something I could live with in order to have affordable soft-top motoring. The updated facia is a success, much better than the previous design in Motor's ex-fleet 205 CTi. It looks much neater, and the stalks on the steering column have much sturdier feel. Also, the improved heating and ventilation controls look, and are, easier to operate.
The 205 CJ cabriolet's hood is very easy to raise or lower. The 205 and EBS conversion have similar release mechanisms, but the Peugeot has a safety button on each handle which must be depressed. Then the hood simply folds back on to the parcel shelf, though as it is being lowered, one must check that its plastic rear window is not kinked. The high-quality tonneau cover cleverly secures under the hood edge so that there are ony a few poppers either side to fiddle with. With the hood down, the 205's front quarterlights help direct the wind away from the occupants, and the roll bar adds a certain amount of shelter. When closing the hood, the Peugeot has small hydraulic struts for the up-and-over action.
Wind noise is very low with the hood up (quieter than the EBS car) although I experienced an annoying road rumble from the front of the 205 CJ that I drove, which was not evident on Motor's CTi. The position of the roof-top aerial can often cause a whistling sound in the wind.
On the open roads the CJ is very impressive. The engine's performance is nippy, the gearchange light and positive (though first was sometimes notchy, probably due to its newness) and the brakes work very well. The CJ's suspension, although identical to the CTi's, has softer settings resulting in a more comfortable ride. Also, lateral scuttle shake which the CTi experiences seems less apparent on this model.
My ideal 205 cabriolet would comprise the CTi's powerful engine and throttle response with the CJ's lighter steering and softer ride. Again, it would be nice to have the 1.9-litre engine under the bonnet.
THE DECISION
Comparing the Pininfarina conversion with that of EBS, you can see a difference in quality. The EBS conversion is good, very good, but the Peugeot's finish is better. For instance, the Renault's doors shut with a clang, the rear windows are difficult to close - they're reluctant to line up with the surrounding seals - and the rubber seals around the windows need improving. Admittedly the latter problems can be rectified by EBS.
Structurally, however, the EBS conversion does conquer lateral scuttle shake more effectively (although it is not a major problem on either car) despite lacking a roll hoop.
At the end, though, it comes down to styling. If you prefer the shape of the 'Five' then you will be prepared to spend £12,575 on a converted Renault 5 GT Turbo rather than saving £1330 and buying a 205 CTi. Lower down the price range, the CJ's price of £8495 is closest to an EBS-converted Renault 5 Campus, which would cost £8615. However, the Renault Campus is only an 1100 cc version, and its original price of £4820 would have almost doubled.
Both cars I drove offered lots of topless fun, but my personal taste would lead my purse to the 205 cabriolet.