Marketed since 1972 in the L (782cc, 845cc L Export) and TL (956cc) versions, the R5 range was enriched in the spring of 1974 with a new and more powerful version, the LS (type R1224), equipped with the 1289cc engine. of the R12 TS, with a power of 64hp at 6000 rpm. It was the very first step towards the sporty variations of the R5, even if the LS could not yet be defined as a "GTI". In 1975 the LS was joined, and then replaced, by the TS, mechanically similar but more refined. The LS also served as the basis for the one-make version of 1975 and 1976, before the arrival of the R5 Alpine.