Legende Automobile Turbo 3 : THE L.A. DREAM
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- 25 July 2021
Alan Derosier, a French-born car designer, relocated to Los Angeles from Shanghai in 2018. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the California sun in all of its majestic splendor. The most significant aspect of Alan’s huge transfer (after his family’s comfort and security, of course) was determining which car he would use to get acquainted with his new home. Alan is a Porsche enthusiast, and with Los Angeles’ custom vehicle culture, he wanted to create something distinctive and, well, custom. Singer, Rod Emory, Guntherwerks, and Canepa were his Custom Porsche heroes, and he wanted to build a car in their style. However, these trailblazers had already covered the Porsche niche, so Alan drew inspiration from another childhood favorite, the Renault 5 Turbo 3.
He began scribbling ideas and shared a few of them on social media, which drew a lot of attention. As a result, He met Charly Bompas, a fellow Frenchman living in Los Angeles. He is a former stunt driver who also owns SoCal Frenchiez, a classic vehicle restoration shop. He was so taken by Alan’s vision for the Rally Icon that the two of them decided to conduct a small run. Alexander Decleves (another Frenchman), Charly’s partner at Socal Frenchiez, is a brilliant Mechanical Engineer. Alan’s notion piqued his interest, and he didn’t take much persuasion to join up.
Pierre Chaveyriat, a race vehicle manufacturer and proprietor of Blood Motorsport, was the final missing piece in the French puzzle. Pierre is a racing whiz who understands everything there is to know about the sport. He was charged with creating a brand-new chassis to ensure that the 1980s icon performed even better than its predecessors.
Not only did these French petrol heads want to pay homage to their roots, but they also wanted to display their love and respect for the city that inspired this effort, Los Angeles. Legende Automobiles, or simply L.A., became the name of the French collective as a result.
Genesis
In an increasingly digital environment, the LA crew wished for a time machine that could transfer them back to the analogue 1980s anytime modern life seemed too mundane. They wanted to make a machine for people who are as enthusiastic about driving as they are. Only a few people in the world would dare to attempt to build such a contraption. Aluminum was used for the roof, doors, and tailgate, and the gorgeous Bertone inside was created by the great Marcello Gandini. These features made the Turbo one of the most thrilling and desirable hot-hatches of its time, but they also put it in a price range that most people couldn’t afford.
Concept
The concept for the Turbo 3 was simple: it needed to be instantly recognizable as an R5 Turbo. However, upon closer investigation, it becomes clear that this rendition is one-of-a-kind and really unique.
Design
Every detail has been polished, updated, or redesigned to make this machine as timeless as possible and to provide the most unique experience imaginable from the inside out. The body is primarily built of carbon fiber, and while it has been enlarged to accommodate larger wheels, all proportions have been altered to keep it homogeneous and true to its lineage.
These are some of the key design elements of the Turbo 3:
- Carbon fiber body kit produced entirely by hand.
- Custom 16″ x 8″ rims in the front and 17″ x 11″ rims in the back are offered in two different designs.
- New LED headlamps are mounted on a single-piece mask, minimizing the number of parts that make up the front and giving it a classic feel.
- Carbon fiber framed rear side glass with custom air curtains built into the C pillars.
- On the roof, an extended rear wing uses the least amount of material for its light-weight structure.
- A two-piece diffuser with bespoke dual square exhaust ends was built specifically for this vehicle.
The Turbo 3 is built on an original 3-door R5, but it features the most recent version of the front and rear Maxi Turbo double wishbone geometry, making it wider and more adept than its predecessors in handling the 400hp from its 4-cylinder turbo.
The L.A. team ignored all financial advice and spared no expense in making sure that this is the best possible version of the B-segment icon. In doing so, they created something unapologetically uncompromised. The Turbo 3.
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