Winner of the Brazilian, South African and Austrian F-1 Grand Prix races in 1980, the Renault RE-20 Turbo proved the worth of Renault's turbo engine. Renault's first turbo-engined F-1 racer, the RE-01, appeared in 1977. The first victory for the new engine was in 1979, when the RS-10 won 1st and 3rd places at the French Grand Prix. A series of improvements and refinements produced the RE-20, which was nearly 30kg lighter than its predecessor and featured a 1.5 liter twin turbocharged V6 engine capable of 520 horsepower. The RE-20 is also a fine example of a winged, ground-effect race car, with an inverted airfoil rear wing and side skirts to reduce lateral air movement.

Tamiya's limited re-release of its 1/12 Big Scale Series Renault Re-20 Turbo (previously Tamiya kit #12026) includes a set of photo-etched parts to depict radiator, intercooler, oil cooler and brake disc details. Kit also includes a super-detailed turbocharged V6 engine, moveable side skirts, semi-pneumatic rubber tires, moveable front & rear suspensions, steerable front wheels, detachable cowling, and markings for Rene Arnoux's No. 16 RE-20 Turbo at the 1980 Long Beach GP.