Why you’d want a Renault GTA/Alpine A610
Alpine worked closely with Renault, so it was no surprise when La Régie bought the firm and threw its weight behind a new model.
In the UK, Chrysler owned the name Alpine, so here it was the Renault GTA, sold elsewhere as the Renault-Alpine GT V6 and Turbo.
Its record-breaking drag coefficient (0.28, or 0.30 for the Turbo with bigger tyres and scoops), lightweight build with plastic and glassfibre panels, 2+2 seating and aluminium PRV V6 in the back were promising.
In 2849cc naturally aspirated form it was fast; the 2.5-litre Turbo outran Lotus Esprits and Porsche 911s.
Being French, the ride was better than most rivals and the handling was good – until the limit was reached. Strong lag was a factor in a few Turbos finding ditches in inexperienced hands.
Fitting a catalytic converter in 1990 sapped power, so the GTA was reborn as the A610 with a turbo 3-litre in 1991.
The GTA had 38% of its weight over the front wheels; the A610 was 17% heavier but put 43% of it up front, with better handling on the limit helped by much-reduced turbo lag.
Lauding its much-improved balance, performance, interior quality and road-noise suppression, Autocar & Motorʼs test declared it ʻa genuine supercarʼ, concluding: ʻPerhaps now it will get the recognition it deserves.ʼ
