January 15, 2025
The time has come! Today the car was picked up from the seller. A few days ago I transferred the outstanding amount for the car, and checked with the seller whether he had also received the money. I am curious!
January 19, 2025
A few months ago I took a TIG welding course at Rustbuster in Veenendaal. The day started with an introduction round. Who are you, where are you from, what do you do in daily life, what do you want to learn and on what project are you going to apply what you have learned. I am the first in line and explain that I want to build a replica of a rally car. The student next to me makes a weird face. He is the second in line and tells me that he is building a Renault 5 Turbo. The day is too short, so we exchange telephone numbers. Today I am going to visit him. Of course very curious about the Renault 5, and certainly about the Gemini racing stuff that he has already ordered.
January 20, 2025
Last Friday the transporter was able to tell me that the car will be delivered today. The driver dares to drive his more than 20 meter long truck into the residential area where I live. He neatly parks my Renault 5 on the driveway. In the evening I can take a closer look at the car for the first time. The first impression is that the car has survived the past 50 years very well. The bodywork is still neat, barely any rust. The technology is really hopelessly outdated, but the entire car including things like the wishbones still looks fine.
January 28, 2025
Today I have an appointment at the RDW for the import inspection. The car still has a Spanish license plate. To get a Dutch license plate I have to go to an RDW inspection station. With a friend we get a car transporter, and then the Renault has to go there. But then we run into a problem; the car won’t start. Not a problem for the inspection, the car doesn’t have to be running for the inspection. The battery only gives 1.4 Volts, and I can’t find the jumper cables right away. So that means pushing. The RDW employee checks the chassis number, weighs the car and measures a number of things. The rest of the process is administrative. In order to get the license plate, I still have to file a BPM declaration, which can be done as soon as the car is known in the tax authorities’ system.
Friday, January 31, 2025
Now that the formalities at the RDW have been completed, I can start dismantling. But before that happens, I would of course like to have driven the Renault 5 again! The battery has been recharged (fortunately not dead), so it should be possible. Choke fully out, it is cold after all, and the engine starts immediately after turning the key. With the choke fully on, it immediately revs high. That must have happened to me before… I drive a few laps around the neighborhood. I notice that after a sharp left turn the car almost stalls, is the tank almost empty?