RENAULT 5

Our retro Renault's star is still shining wonderfully bright

- Ellis Hyde [e-mail]

DID you know that grey has been the most popular paint colour for new cars in the UK for the past seven years in a row? And it's not like we've just had the joy sucked out of us since Toys 'R' Us went bust. Silver had a six-year run as the go-to hue from 2003, then it was black, then white, then black again.

This doesn’t surprise me one bit, though, because every time I’m stuck in traffic on the M25 (which is all too frequently), it feels like I’m surrounded by more shades of grey than even E.L. James could shake a stick at.

Likewise, when I went down to London’s Hampton Court Palace to attend the Concours of Elegance – an event featuring genuinely immaculate cars from every era of motoring, and in some of the wildest colours imaginable the visitors’ car park outside looked as monochromatic as TV in the fifties. But as always, standing out amongst the crowd was our Renault 5 with its brilliant (and suitably named) Pop Yellow! paint.

I’m sure my affection for the Renault 5 has come through in these reports, but I haven’t been the only one smitten by its charms. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the car’s vibrant colour combined with its nostalgic looks has turned many a head since I picked up the Renault back in April. Even now, several months later and with plenty of R5s on the road, most journeys include at least one nod of approval from a fellow motorist.