In the autumn of 1994, Renault celebrated 10 years of the Espace, the legendary pioneer of minivans, as part of the Paris Motor Show, the "Mondial de l'Automobile de Paris" as its official name is. And it did so with a very special version, powered by a naturally aspirated engine that had won several world titles for drivers and brands, mounted on Williams chassis. We are talking about the Renault Sport RS5, a ten-cylinder V, with a displacement of 3.5 liters. This mutant was the result of joining elements of a single-seater F1 Williams and the Renault Espace. And the material author of this work was Phillip Moch, one of the pioneers of carbon fiber applied to competition. Moch incorporated the rear half of a Williams FW 14, World Champion with Nigel Mansell in 1992, into an Espace skeleton. The upper structure and the front block of the Renault minivan were preserved. But it was necessary to redo the entire floor, manufacturing a carbon fiber monocoque, in the style of those used by F1 cars. It was a double floor built like a box, with a thickness of 25 centimeters. The gap comprised a central tunnel leading from the front spoiler to the engine, centrally located between the two rear seats. Its role was essential: in addition to obtaining the greatest rigidity, it ensured the entry of fresh air into the V10. This RS5 engine with more than 700 hp, with which Alain Prost had achieved his fourth world championship title in 1993, was associated with a very advanced semi-automatic gearbox designed by Williams: it was possible to change gears (with a few buttons on the steering wheel), keeping your foot fully pressed. The rear suspension was that of the Williams FW 14, with superimposed triangles just like the front one, although in this case it was made by Matra. Four carbon discs were responsible for braking, and the tires, Michelin, were fitted with 18-inch wheels.
