Renault 5: Boys and Their Toys

Growing up, there’s always been a vehicle that never left our minds. Regardless of the shape, colour or make – chances are we’re yet to forget it. Not a single car has been mentioned, but you’ve thought of one, haven’t you?

For Matt and Brandon, that car in your mind is the Renault 5 GT in theirs.

“I fell in love with it as a kid, really,” Matt says, “The shape, my friends had one before I was driving. I’ve always wanted one. I managed to get hold of one, and then have used it for track days, blats on the weekend, and just kept modding it and modding it and modding it. Hopefully, fingers crossed, I can keep it forever.”

Brandon doubles down on this, saying: “Yeah, I’m planning on keeping that [Renault 5] forever. Well, for as long as I can, anyway. It’s one of those cars; I’ve always wanted one.”

A number of passersby at the cricket club were intrigued by the sharp-shaped motors and their imposing colour. “Boys and their toys!” One remarked to the film team as they wandered by, whilst Matt and Brandon were occupied discussing the Renault 5’s with another gentleman and his dog.

It was clear, in our ever-evolving society, that the older sayings still make their way to the surface. And that’s partially because it’s true. You can’t keep boys from their toys, as Matt and Brandon’s discussion with one another highlights.

Matt mentions: “I’ve colour coded everything… lines, just lines everywhere… I don’t know, I just mod it every time. Every year, I try to change something on it. It’s a bit like a kid with his toy, isn’t it?” He confers with Brandon, who chuckles, “Like an action man. You can change his hat, his clothes, his shoes. It’s just great fun. I couldn’t go back to putting it back to standard.”

Brandon, on the other hand, takes the purist approach, keeping his build as genuine as possible. “I want to keep it as it is, just tidy it up a little bit.”

As with any passion, there also comes a sense of achievement. “I’ve been to Goodwood a couple of times,” says Brandon, “I won a trophy at Players Show last year, that was quite good. I went to go to Players Classic last year, but I broke down on the way there so I didn’t make it. There was a little hairline crack in the distributor cap, so I broke down.”

“It’s the little things that can make you stop, isn’t it?” Matt adds, and Brandon agrees.

Yet, in spite of this, the pair continue to work on their unique motors, and with around only 300 Renault 5 GT’s licensed in the UK (at the time of this article being written), it’s no surprise there’s a great deal of pride surrounding the maintenance of these cars.