Renault Alpine GTA and A610: The V6 Coupe That Carried Alpine Into the 1990s

The Renault Alpine GTA and its successor, the A610, were rear-engined sports coupes that the Renault-owned Alpine division built from late 1984 until 1995. The GTA was sold as the V6 GT or V6 Turbo in most of Europe, and as the Renault GTA in Britain.

Its PRV V6 sat behind the seats, and its fibreglass body made it unusually slippery for its day. The naturally aspirated version set a record drag coefficient for its class.

Where did the GTA come from?

The GTA succeeded the Alpine A310 and was the first Alpine built entirely by Renault. It was longer, wider and taller than its predecessor, and its bumpers were integrated into the body, while a triangular C-pillar carried a large rear windscreen. Passenger room grew, and equipment was more complete, including power locks.

The body was made from many small separate panels rather than one large moulding, which meant a major overhaul of the Alpine plant. Build time dropped from 130 hours to 77 hours, a long figure but a workable one for a low-volume car.

The naturally aspirated engine was the Renault 25's 2849 cc PRV, which delivered 120 kW in its 160 hp form. The car weighed 92 kg (203 lb) more than the A310, and a small power gain offset the extra weight. The turbo model used a smaller 2.5-litre displacement.

The chassis was a central backbone built by Heuliez and then taken to Dieppe, with side outriggers for side-impact protection. The drivetrain sat on a separate subframe that could be removed in about two hours, and the engine moved 40 mm (1.6 in) forward.

Production started at ten cars a day, but that dropped quickly as Renault struggled in the sports car market. Over the six full years the average was just above 1000 a year, or roughly three a day, almost identical to the A310 V6.

A rear-engined V6 coupe that carried the Alpine name through the late 1980s and early 1990s.

What were the GTA's main models?

The V6 GT was the naturally aspirated base model, shown in November 1984 with a drag coefficient of 0.28. It set a class record for aerodynamics at the time, and it went on sale after its first public showing at the 1985 Amsterdam show.

The turbocharged V6 Turbo followed in September 1985, wearing a bigger spoiler and a grille for cooling, with a higher coefficient of 0.30. The turbo's PRV was 2458 cc, and it made 200 PS (150 kW) at 5750 rpm, with 290 N-m (214 lb-ft) at 2500 rpm.

Autocar's test car covered 0-97 km/h (0-60 mph) in 6.3 seconds and reached 149 mph (240 km/h). Sales of the naturally aspirated car were sluggish, but the turbo picked up sales considerably, and the right-hand-drive version launched in the UK at the 1986 Birmingham Show.

A catalysed car arrived in early 1987 with 15 hp less, which allowed sales in Switzerland and later in Germany and the Netherlands. It had lower gearing in fourth and fifth to hide the power loss, and anti-lock brakes came in 1988.

The Europa Cup was a separate limited edition from July 1985, conceived for single-make racing alongside the Formula One Grand Prix in Europe. Of the 69 cars built between 1984 and 1987, only seven are thought to survive in civilian form.

What was the Le Mans edition?

The Le Mans edition reached buyers in February 1990, with a target of 300 units, but 325 were built by February 1991. It used the catalysed V6 Turbo, with power down from 200 to 185 PS, and its body kit owed much to a German tuner's design.

The fenders were widened, the front indicators moved from the wing tips to the bumper, and the front was a single piece with smaller headlights. The wheels were BBS-style units from ACT, 8x16 inches at the front and 10x17 inches at the rear.

Renault had to fit a catalysed engine for the home market, which pulled power down further. Danielson SA, a French tuner, responded with an upgraded Le Mans producing 154 kW (210 PS). Alpine's own dealers also offered a simple engine modification that raised the power from 185 to 210 PS.

The Danielson car was reckoned to match the non-catalysed turbo, and it could keep up with a Porsche 911 Carrera 2 in acceleration. In fifth gear it took 9.3 seconds for 62 to 87 mph (100 to 140 km/h).

Why was there a US-market GTA?

Renault planned to sell a federalised GTA in the United States through American Motors, which it part-owned. The US car had retractable headlamps, deformable bumpers and a third brake light, and it was planned for a mid-1987 launch. Renault hoped to sell 3,000 cars a year.

The US plan collapsed in March 1987, when Renault gave up its stake in American Motors to Chrysler and pulled back from North America. By then 21 pre-series cars had been finished, and Alpine sold a dozen directly to chosen customers in France.

How did the A610 differ from the GTA?

The A610, built from 1991 to 1995, looked similar to the GTA but was a different car. It kept the rear engine and steel backbone chassis, and its V6 grew to 3.0 litres with 184 kW (247 bhp; 250 PS).

Its body was close to the GTA's, sharing only the windows with its predecessor. The pop-up headlights recalled the American GTA, and the car was sold only under the Alpine name, because the Renault link seemed to weaken the brand's sporty image.

Torque rose to 350 N-m (258 lb-ft) at 2,900 rpm. In March 1993 the engine was reduced to 2,963 cc to suit Swiss taxation.

What were the A610 special editions?

The Albertville 92 was shown in 1991 for the Olympic Games and used a Gardenia White finish. Both it and the Magny-Cours edition used the standard engine and specification.

The Magny-Cours edition celebrated the Williams-Renault Formula One victory at the French Grand Prix in July 1991, with 31 cars built. Those cars had a specific colour and interior, and a Magny-Cours legend on the doors with body-coloured rims.

How did the A610 end?

The A610 did not improve on the GTA's sales and was discontinued in 1995, despite praise from the motoring press and approval from Top Gear. No Alpine-badged car followed it until the 2017 A110 arrived.

The Dieppe plant then built the Renault Spider, and 818 were made, 67 of them right-hand drive. Sales were acceptable for the first two years, but from 1993 to 1995 only 80 cars were built.

In 2007 Jeremy Clarkson's direct-to-DVD film Supercar Showdown saw a particularly rare right-hand-drive A610 driven into a concrete K-rail. Across the GTA and A610 about 7,300 cars were made in total.

What are the Renault Alpine GTA and A610 specifications?