Renault 4 Turbo in Fez

[Olive]

This Renault 4 Turbo is on sale in Fez, Morocco. My son is doing a year abroad over there and walks past it every day. Does anyone have any idea how old this might be? He hasn't phoned up yet to enquire about the price but is quite keen on seeing if he can afford to buy it to drive home. But I have told him these things aren't so straightforward.
Any advice? (Like don't touch it with a bargepole!)
Photos below.....

 

[Olive]

 

[Richnd1974]

Tricky to tell, my concerns would be what engine, availability of parts in the UK, quality of work, trying to insure it... And how robust it is...

 

[Cornish4]

Hello Olive. I would tell him to leave well alone, for all the reasons Richard mentions, and if he really wants a R4, track down a nice solid original example. Modified cars can be notoriously unreliable. Also this thing is just plain ugly

 

[Lobster]

It's a 1980s GTL by the looks of it but otherwise NO, just NO!

 

[David M]

Notice that it has 4stud wheels which are not original.
That means quite a lot of suspension/brake work.
I’d be concerned.
If the rear wheel no longer fits in its undertray I would assume it’s a larger diameter to improve the gearing. But that is an ugly solution.

 

[Olive]

Brilliant - thanks all. Just what we needed to know.