the Renault 5 Alpine in 6 Christian wheels Leotard

Until proven otherwise Christian de Léotard built 3 Renault 5 to 6 wheels :

• R5 TS
• the R5 Alpine 
• R5 Turbo 

The second Renault 5 transformed by Christian de Leotard 6 wheels was an R5 Alpine, it will be prepared for the Paris Dakar 1980.

Christian de Léotard will be the pilot and Francis Dumortier, the co-pilot. See the Dakardantan.com file

I've been looking for more information about this period in the life of Christian de Léotard for a long time and the idea of ​​finding Francis Dumortier had crossed my mind several times.
In reality Francis Dumortier came alone on Sixmania.fr and he left us a comment on the R5 TS page at 6 wheels (the wrong page). It took me a long time to understand who he was and after finally understanding, I wrote to him, and today I can finally tell you the real story of the R5 Alpine 6×6 Dakar.

Around November 1979 Christian de Léotard calls Francis Dumortier, he found a sponsor, HiFi Marantz for which he wishes to register an R5 Alpine in the Dakar. Francis already has a “relative” knowledge of Africa, enduro and 4 races×4.

I let Francis tell us the rest :

A black steering R5 (5000 km) was purchased from RENAULT Rue de la Pompe in November for 50 000 F. Being on the financial aspect, the overall budget funded by the sponsor is approximately 170.000 Francs. This covers investments : the car and a Land Cruiser BJ 40 assistance, and all costs. A beautiful teammate on the Land brings 10 000 F to participate in the adventure. This Land will one day be “on the beret”, the unanswered question will have been : “Where the pilot was looking ?”.

Francis Dumortier

“Led to his garage in Colombes, the R5 is on hold. In about 3 weeks, mainly at night and on weekends, between us we transform the car into 6×6. I remember the plans drawn by Christian, which he always looked at. I worked under his control. I dismantle the box 5 reports. Reassembly of a box 4 with transfer box for rear exit. For bodywork, the rear of the R5 was cut behind the wheel. Another R5, cut out in front of the wheel, is welded to the first. And we have 3 wheels on each side ! And we strengthen everywhere.
Installation of a classic SINPAR bridge on the last axle. For the intermediary, Christian filed a patent to modify the SINPAR bridge with an inlet and an outlet. This is what took time. The 6 x 6 will be permanent.
I pass on the rest ... the exhaust, the seats, the painting, etc. He was sensitive to the aspect, showing off. I was ashamed of the roof exhaust to make the desert.
Our transition to control takes place tomorrow, everything seems ready !
We lower the car by candles, it starts, and Christian behind the wheel, turn right to exit the garage. And the car stops ! Indeed we went up the suspensions and turning right, the male gimbal comes out of the female. We ask the verifications to delay our timetable. We tighten the buttocks because we already know that the papers are not good, that we didn't really have time to do a minimal test. If in addition we do not arrive at Trocadéro, we are very bad ...
I have never seen Christian desperate or doubtful. A fine example of unwavering will !
We put the car back on hold, we cut and sleeveless !
The solder made in Colombes will be our only mechanical incident during the race (in southern Algeria).”

“The fact is that we end up at Trocadéro with all the others. And it's folklo ! Among the most notable, I find Yves BELLEVILLE there, journalist I knew in 1977 during a Paris / Baghdad AR, in the month of August, me on a BMW 100/7. The unconscious registered with a 2CV Van, on which a bridge gearbox is mounted upside down, activating the wheels Ar. The passage of 4×2 in 4×4 takes a quarter of an hour at best. And Bamako, this near-wrecked car, with the folded chassis chewing gum style will be sold by me to a French cooperant. For the moment he realizes that all his tires are flat and I have to take him to a service station on Avenue Paul Doumer to have wheels in good condition ! The departure is not easy. Some have already lost, who his papers, who the keys, who his sub, who a team member… Anyway at least 10 % registrants will not take the boat, for the above reasons plus accidents, because some believe that the race begins in Etampes !”

Francis Dumortier

Departure from Paris-Dakar 1980 at the Trocadéro, in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

The R5 Alpine is just down the left staircase (seen from the bottom). All the photos that follow come from the site dakardantan.com  A huge thank you to Jeff for his cooperation.

The only picture that met the 2 R5 Leotard from Dakar, with the TS in the foreground and the Alpine in the background on the left. Photo dakardantan.com

The Prologue of the Dakar 1980 at Olivet, near Orleans.

The Paris-Dakar race 1980

“To talk about the journey, all is well for us. The 6×6 goes very well on the snow of the RN20. She drives straight and brakes in the hair ! However, the motorcycles, ouch ! And the 4×2 across.
Arrival in Toulouse is triumphant. We are received with great fanfare at the RENAULT branch, with the MARREAU brothers of course.
The arrival in ALGIERS the white is wonderful, but so many others have described it so well.
Direction South East towards BOUIRA (SONACOME Truck Factory) where the restaurant will be heavily alcoholic.
Then the first special, discovery of the desert and time. The anecdote to avoid : two brave little-lit boys are registered behind the wheel of an R12 Gordini, strangely sponsored by DUREX. Their car is covered with tights the size of this equipment. It's everywhere on the car. We are in 79 and the use of condoms at the time had an obsolete side, even ridiculous. We don't know about AIDS !
They make the engine roar before the start of a rather long special, as if it were a stop-start kilometer. And then at 100 M from there, they didn’t see a little mound of earth, as common in Africa (20 cm) and they brake hard, the car gets in the way and they make at least three barrels. This has the effect of calming the ardor of some.”

Francis Dumortier

“We are passing, Ghardaia, then the South and one day around 4:00 p.m. the famous brazed sleeve farts. Not a rat around. Christian dismantles. Arrive un Break 504 driven by a local in djellabah. His passenger is a knocked down biker whose motorbike is lying in the back. I take the two broken pieces and I go up with him. The night falls quickly enough. Local navigates by radar. Then we arrive in a village of 5 houses. He brings me into a courtyard where several men are around the fire to drink tea. He explains to them, they offer me a tea, they take the two pieces from me and they will redo (without tools) the solder.

For me it's magic ! Their intervention will last the rest of the journey. I have a lot of respect for the expression "Arabic work". On other occasions I will be able to verify the wonders of which they are capable.
And the 504 brings us back to 23 H or midnight, or later. Time doesn't count anymore, at R5. Christian goes back up and off we go.
We meet few competitors in a day, because the track before Black Africa is very very wide. Reggane's journey to Borj Moktar is over 800 Km. It's sand, and sand takes power. It’s hard to overtake 90 km/h. Furthermore, the engine heats up. To reduce the engine temperature, I turn on the heating. And we have to drive with the windows closed. Inside it feels like living in a vacuum cleaner. The car fills with laterite. Christian is worried about seeing no one. I have to reassure him and finally he calms down.

I show him on the track the cairns he can see on the road book.
At night we sometimes find a group. For example Peugeot scooters 50 cc. The brand had engaged 5 scooters I believe with cross and enduro pros. And assisting two Land Rovers 109, led by H. PESCAROLO. In fact, the pilots soon realized that a scooter wheel got stuck in 10 cm of sand. So, they start, and move on as long as they can. The two Lands arrive and in a discreet place (there are many in the desert), scooters and pilots get in the back. They will come down before arrival. Everyone knows it, but everyone doesn’t care. It’s not a competition.

We meet people who became famous later : Nicolas HULOT who reports on France Inter during the rally, the three ABOVILLE brothers on 125 KAWASAKI. Motorcycles and riders are raw green, brand color. They are nicknamed "the frogs". They might be more comfortable in the water.

We don’t really have any incidents until Dakar. On the other hand, yes. Among others René METGE with his LEYLAND truck which broke the chassis, repaired "at the local" at GAO, before taking the bac, still the subject of discussions and negotiations, aimed at raising prices with overnight.
A BAMAKO, we are hosted by RENAULT at the Hôtel de l'Amitié. We are around 7 or 8 in a room, I sleep on the carpet, leaving the two beds to employees of the brand. The deep sleep is sometimes interrupted by local girls coming to offer "love that passes" to occupants of the room. Sometimes it works, but luckily it’s fast ! Love passes very quickly !

We stayed at least two nights in Bamako because the Rally Direction neutralized the stage towards KAYES due to a completely impassable track.”

Francis Dumortier

“We take this opportunity to respond to the invitation of garages "La Manutention Africaine", which represents RENAULT. We are received by the Director to whom I ask the service to have our interior cleaned a little. He calls an employee to carry out this "dusting". Not dismantled, the good boy opens the two doors wide and sends the fire hose. This is Niagara in the R5. The whole lower part of the hull is full of water up to the level of the doors. No problem ! He takes a herringbone nail and a big hammer and drills a few holes in the floor. Water drains. When we start well, as much continue : to plug the holes, he passes with a large wallpaper brush, tar from a barrel 200 L, and sticks newspaper over it as a carpet. It will be the imprint of the car. Tar will still flow when the car is exhibited at the Paris Sound and HiFi Show several months later.
It is decided that the rally will take the train. Vehicles will be mounted on flat cars and tied with heavy wire. And we are waiting. A departure is attempted around midnight, but the train comes back after 5 minutes because problems with the loco. We sit on the set next to the car, who lets his tar flow. We are kindly chatting with our neighbor Corinne KOPPENHAGUE and her Jeep. We stay there at least 24 hours, we go to the market, then finally we leave, after some interventions of mechanics of the rally on the driving. We drive to 40 on time, but it's hard to stand on the wagon because of the condition of the track. Frequent stops in the villages are nice. We eat a little chicken.”

Francis Dumortier

The Toy BJ assisted, the number 174 led by Christian Rodier and Brigitte Mairesse

“The sponsor already very happy that the car arrived there, has already asked -in view of upcoming exhibition- Christian to preserve the car and arrive cool in Dakar. So no question of making the loop of TAMBACOUNDA. The objective, it's the beach in Dakar. We are getting there (with so many others, out of the game). We will be accommodated at the barracks near the island of Gorée. We stay two days living well and sailing. The car is entrusted to the transporter and will reach Paris a few weeks later.”

Francis Dumortier

Here is a beautiful photo, Renault 5 Alpine crossing the famous Kidira ford, you should know that 1980 it was a myth deliciously ridden by Thierry Sabine : “The ford where you don't know the depth…”. The car had to be able to cross this ford as dry as possible, with a waterproof case…

When Étienne Batifoulier (Nicolas Hulot's Range Rover co-driver who was HS) saw this photo, he exclaimed that he was aboard the R5 with Christian at this precise moment !

What is really nice in this story is that Etienne Batifoulier found himself with Christian at the African handling in Bamako where he had asked the workshop foreman to revise and prepare the Renault to cross the ford ( the ford where you don't know the depth…) so Christian asked if we could find a coat of arms to seal the box ; "You blaxon ? – Yes, tar…- Ah I know boss "the workshop manager came back with was 200 l road repair hot tar… and we all brushed the underside of the body, wings, everything with that tar…! And it was super efficient and waterproof…!

When Étienne Batifoulier went to see the car at the Musée de Mougins, he checked : the tar was still there as on the first day! It was the right car, that of the Dakar !

In the following photos, the number is crossed out, R5 has abandoned, but it continues towards Dakar, and she will achieve it ! Photos of Christian de Léotard.

Étienne Batifoulier had suggested to me that Francis Dumortier had left for Paris as soon as he left., so I asked him if he had gone all the way…

“Effectively, I finished the whole route to Dakar in the R5. But we returned quietly and Christian showed a fair interest in communication and the beautiful photos for the sponsor. The ford of Kidira and later the very large beach of Dakar, evocative places,  were for him the opportunity of numerous photos and he willingly and intelligently offered to journalists the pleasure of getting into the car. Excluding the race and especially outside the rally route, Christian wanted to make pictures. Kidira's ford and a few others weren't so deep. It was rather the slightly steep and very muddy exit that asked to get out with skill and a little luck. There was the spectacular ! To return to tar, it was indeed a mistake on the part of Christian to ask to waterproof the floor. He was afraid that water would flow in the car. There weren't more than a dozen holes, from 5 mm, but he had this fad in mind from the start ; hence the exhaust on the roof… We left together from Dakar to Paris.”

Francis Dumortier

Before this beautiful lady leaves to end her life in the Mougin Museum in Cannes, Christian de Léotard will have a little more fun with, guess where… at the prologue of Paris-Dakar 1981 at Olivet, near Orleans.

Paris-Dakar prologue 1981 at Olivet

Museum of Mougins in Cannes

After Dakar, the car was restored at the Lecoq bodybuilder, then sold to the Automobile Museum of Mougins in Cannes by Christian de Léotard.

The Motorist Museum, Musée de Mougin at summer museum was inaugurated in 1984 and closed on 26 September 2008
see the site : https://didiertougard.blogspot.com/2018/11/voitures-anciennes-les-musees-fermes-6.html Thank you Eric for these details that were missing from my article.

There was a blur in the history of the R5 Alpine, in the sense that it would have deteriorated while in museum and “someone & rsquo; a” would recover spent for rehabilitation. Rumors even ran that & rsquo; car was stolen, Christian then explained that he had recovered his car to the repair itself. It s & rsquo; in fact sold to a collector, who later resold it to the garage 3 S Development Colomars.

A priori, Here R5 6×6 in the museum, I did not find any other photo inside

It was one of the first cars to be found outside the Museum when arriving.

surprising, non ?

At a time, Alpine R5 Leotard has been stored in the basement of the Mougins Museum…

The R5 Alpine 6×6 spent almost 10 years at the Museum of Mougins to come out of it in a very bad state, a real scandal. The Museum ended up closing.

We will not find the R5 6×6 when sold at the garage 3 S Development Colomars.

Here R5 6 wheels near his tower, it would have spent at least 3 years…

Then one day, R5 6×6 Paris-Dakar was for sale by the garage. Several potential customers have had heart stroke, but the condition of the car drove them to drop the case. At the time,  I went out of my way for friends to come and get her.

The R5 Alpine 6 savior×6

C & rsquo; is in the course of the & rsquo; year 2016, that the Messiah has arrived, he made an offer to the garage that the & rsquo; accepted. About his rehabilitation, our savior said : “It will be a reconstruction that & rsquo; restoration “.
C & rsquo; is a specialist Renault, and we already know that this historic car is in good hands.

R5 6×6 Dakar 2016

A photo taken on the spot by a passerby, the R5 at 6 wheels on its shelf, it does not go unnoticed !

And a photo of his new owner that m & rsquo; kindly offered to m & rsquo; d & rsquo send; other images.

A friend happened to see, R5 6×6 of Leotard is still awaiting restoration and apparently not the only ! (04/02/2018)

R5 Alpine 6 models×6

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