The Renault 5 Roland-Garros Will Cost £29,995

The regular version of the reborn electric Renault 5 has only just started landing with customers, but already the French manufacturer has released the first of presumably many special editions. The Roland-Garros is now on sale, and it’ll cost you £29,995.

It has been introduced as a tie-in with the French Open (a tennis tournament for those of us who don’t play with rackets), which Renault has been sponsoring for the last couple of years. The name comes from Paris’s Stade Roland-Garros complex, where the tournament takes place. 

If that name seems familiar in an automotive context, it’s because Peugeot – previous partner of the French Open – did a long run of special edition cars with the same name, beginning with the 205 and lasting right up until the 108 and first-gen 208.

What does that mean for the new R5, though? Well, it’s available in four colours, including a shade of matte slate grey that’s exclusive to the model. Sadly, there don’t seem to be plans for a bright green one with white stripes and a slightly fuzzy texture. 

There’s a smattering of Roland-Garros logos inside and out, and the interior also gets some extra tennis-y bits. A special recycled light grey fabric upholstery is said to be “inspired by technical clothing from the world of sport,” while the column-mounted gear selector, in an utterly delightful move, has been redesigned to resemble the grip of a tennis racket.

Both the floormats and the grippy stuff that lines the wireless phone charging pad are finished in a colour resembling the red clay surfaces of Roland-Garros’ courts – apparently, actual red clay powder has been involved in the manufacture of the latter.

Now the Roland-Garros is here, it’s presumably only a matter of time before a full set of tennis gear joins the foosball tables and pétanque sets in the brilliantly mad Renault 5 merch store.