Vehicle Description
1987 Renault Alpine GTA/610 ? A rare car ? one of only 2,791 GTA?s
built ? Only 31,708 miles ? Left-hand drive ? 200HP 2.5L PRV
turbocharged SOHC 90? V-6 engine (code Z7U-730) ? Renault 30-based
five-speed manual transmission ? Marine Blue exterior with high
quality vinyl wrap with black leather interior Gallic charm or
eccentricity? If you?re looking for a classic sports coupe that?s
decidedly French, this could be the car for you. Made in Dieppe,
France, this 2+2 has a unique rear-engine layout but unlike
Porsche?s 911, it?s not an air-cooled flat six. Alpine GTA
(produced 1985-1990) was the successor to the legendary A310 model.
It?s the first production car from Dieppe designed from scratch
after Alpine had been taken over by Renault. During 6 production
years 4151 cars V6 Turbo were built (type D501), and till 1990
altogether 2791 Renault Alpine GTA. Finished in a professionally
wrapped Marine Blue, the exterior paint and black trim are in
overall very good order. The car?s bodywork is straight, the engine
bay is extremely tidy and the frunk cargo area is clean. The
wraparound, body-colored bumpers fit tightly to the body.
Interesting touches include truly opposed windshield wipers instead
of parallel (tandem) or opposing-arm types and door lock cylinders
that double as door openers. Longer, wider, and taller, it
effectively updated the design of its predecessor, the Alpine A310,
updating that car's silhouette with modern design features like
body-integrated bumpers and a triangular C-pillar with large rear
windshield. This Gallic beauty rolls on Toyo Proxes T1R radials,
size 195/50R15 in front and 225/50R15 in back. Each one is mounted
on a factory, finned rim. The tires and wheels are all in very good
order. Flip up the rear window with wire-grid defroster and the
plastic cover beneath to reveal the rear-mounted 2.5L PRV
turbocharged SOHC 90? V-6 engine (code Z7U-730). This motor is
connected to a Renault 30-based five-speed manual transmission. The
Alpine used polyester plastics and fiberglass for the body panels
extensively, making it lighter and quicker than rivals such as the
Porsche 944. Passenger room increased, making the rear seat more of
a useful proposition, while equipment was much more complete.
Inside, the black leather interior is in overall very good order.
The front bucket seats look good, as does the gray carpet. There
are a pair of demi-buckets in the rear and gray headliner look
good. A three-spoke steering wheel frames the modular and very 80s
instrument panel. The dash and inner door liners are in very good
order, as is the center console and driver-oriented shift lever.
The stereo is pure 1980s-an AM/FM unit with a nine-band graphic
equalizer and cassette deck which does not currently turn on. A/C
turns on but is not blowing cold. The Renault Alpine GTA and the
succeeding A610 were sports coupes made by the Renault-owned French
manufacturer Alpine between late 1984 and 1995. It was one of the
most aerodynamic cars of its time, the naturally aspirated version
achieved a record 0.28 drag coefficient in its class. Due to its
bigger tires and need for more cooling intakes, the Turbo's drag
coefficient was a bit higher: 0.30. The GTA name, used to denote
the entire range of this generation, stands for ?Grand Tourisme
Alpine? but in most markets the car was marketed as the Renault
Alpine V6 GT or as the Renault Alpine V6 Turbo. Rather than being
molded in a single piece as for the preceding A310, the new
Alpine's body was molded in a large number of small separate
panels. This required a major overhaul of the Alpine plant, leaving
only the sandblasting machinery intact. The car was also
considerably more efficient to manufacture, with the time necessary
to build a finished car dropping from 130 to 77 hours - which was
still a long time, but acceptable for a small-volume specialty car.
The central backbone chassis (with outriggers for side impact
protection) was built by Heuliez and then transferred to Dieppe -
aside from the body, most of the car was subcontracted to various
suppliers. The drivetrain was mounted on a separate subframe,
meaning it can be removed in as little as two hours. It was also
moved 1.6 inches forward (making the rear overhang shorter while
nearly all other dimensions increased) compared to the A310,
improving somewhat on that car's tailward weight distribution. The
transmission was the same Renault 30-based unit that the A310 had
used, with some minor changes and somewhat longer fourth and fifth
gears. Those gears were taller yet for the GT Turbo model. At the
time of introduction, daily production number amounted to ten cars.
This soon dropped considerably, as the somewhat less than
prestigious Renault had a hard time in the sports car marketplace.
The average production for the six full years of production was
just above 1000 per annum, or just above three per day - almost
identical to the A310 V6?s annual production. Competition to this
Alpine in 1987 included Chevrolet?s Camaro, Dodge?s Daytona, Ford?s
Mustang, Honda?s Prelude, Mercury?s Capri, Mitsubishi?s Starion
Turbo, Nissan?s 300ZX Turbo, Pontiac?s Firebird, Porsche?s 944 and
Toyota?s Supra. A sports coupe unlikely to be duplicated at a
weekend car show or a cruise night, this Alpine will draw a crowd
almost anywhere. If you like being the center of attention yet,
your first step is to get to MotoeXotica Classic Cars to see this
French surprise in person. VIN: D501021J? This car is currently
located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on
the odometer shows 31,708 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a
clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!? Note:
Please see full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to
the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.
