RE: Alpine A610: Spotted

RE: Alpine A610: Spotted

Author
Discussion

BrightonEd

76 posts

160 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
I spotted this rather sorry looking example the other day, funny PH penned an article subsequently.

Felt sorry for it. Anyone need any bits?


blade7

11,311 posts

215 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
yes i'm mad said:
Reminds me of this Top Gear video..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWGchdsJaA0
laugh

mvansche

9 posts

227 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
I'm on my second A610 and must say love them to bits. Good luck to the seller if he can achieve 20k for it then it's good for business so to speak. As said previously the GTA is an utter bargain in comparison, find a good one of these and you should have happy and depreciation free motoring.

Nice spot with the red one in the breakers yard ED. Where is it? Both Club's members are always looking for spares, it doesn't look too bad so might be saved as another option?

vertico2k

27 posts

222 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
yearoneracing said:
Who is the UK specialist for these things?
Paul Sage in Streatham at http://www.alpinerenaultrestoration.com always has a few in and has also looked after my T2 for years

soad

32,829 posts

175 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
blade7 said:
yes i'm mad said:
Reminds me of this Top Gear video..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWGchdsJaA0
laugh
That is not funny at all. That is just tragic. frown

blueg33

35,586 posts

223 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
vertico2k said:
yearoneracing said:
Who is the UK specialist for these things?
Paul Sage in Streatham at http://www.alpinerenaultrestoration.com always has a few in and has also looked after my T2 for years
Or Renault Alpine Tuning Services RATS (CLee on ph) who did the restoration work on mine and does servicing etc. He seems to have 4 or 5 cars in his workshop at any one time now and probably does more than Paul Sage.

There was also Roadspeed in Stroud, but the owner is semi retired, when I was at his place about 18 months ago he had 3 or 4 A110's inside, a rotting one outside and a couple of GTA's.

There are a few others dotted about but you can be pretty sure that Paul Sage and Clee have seen and fixed all of the issues that these cars have.

My GTA is pretty reliable, I use it for work sometimes and it has no more and now fewer niggles than my Tuscan or to be honest than my sons Skoda Fabia. Thats not bad for a car hand built by Frenchmen in 1988.

vsonix

3,858 posts

162 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
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sparkey said:
I bought this one last week:



And I rather like it.

It's very "odd" with a strangely quiet V6 turbo hanging out the back which has a good dollop of 1980's turbo lag, but it has lots of rear grip and feels fast. Build quality is a bit French and the electrics seem rubbish, but it has lots of quirky bits that will probably make it fun to own as a weekend toy. It also looks great and smaller in the flesh (for some reason it always looks big in photos?) and it generates a lot of interest as most people don't know what it is.

"vive la difference"

S..
Staggered AZEV 'A' wheels by the looks of it? Just saw the same ones on a picture of an abandoned M3 in Libya!


These cars are definitely something of a forgotten classic, you have to wonder why there aren't so many interesting euro sports cars any more...

Eagerbeaver

386 posts

198 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
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All of these are cool cool cars in the most French way possible. Not understood by us Brits, consequently a bargain on this side of the water if you get a good one.

The A610 was the best of the bunch in my opinion but very few around.

RSgeoff

258 posts

229 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
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I'm sure when this was first tested on Top Gear in 1992 Clarkson raved about it??

Leins

9,418 posts

147 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
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B17NNS said:
Marcus? Marcus Tandy?
I remember Eldorado for very few things, namely a blonde Swedish chick, the A610, and his line to an employee of "But my Armani suit isn't spelt with a 'Y' !!!" biggrin


BTW, does anyone remember the magazine advert, circa 1988, about the guy who's uncle had bought him an A110 for his 17th birthday? After all those years he'd decided it was time to chop it in for the new GTA Turbo

Johnston

249 posts

179 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
Clarkson did. He still does actually.

He wasn't the only one who thought it was a great car either

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aUlCqlnLtI

RSgeoff said:
I'm sure when this was first tested on Top Gear in 1992 Clarkson raved about it??

AW111

9,455 posts

132 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
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Dale487 said:
Looks like you won't find a better one - great colour too - but will never hold/appriate in value like the 993 Porsche.
I disagree, partly due to scarcity.
There are so few RHD Alpines about that there will always be a demand for those kept in good nick.

Cracking car, by the way. They have some obvious flaws, but I'd still love one.

BGarside

1,564 posts

136 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
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Leins said:
I remember Eldorado for very few things, namely a blonde Swedish chick, the A610, and his line to an employee of "But my Armani suit isn't spelt with a 'Y' !!!" biggrin


BTW, does anyone remember the magazine advert, circa 1988, about the guy who's uncle had bought him an A110 for his 17th birthday? After all those years he'd decided it was time to chop it in for the new GTA Turbo
I remember the ad, presumably they were trying to extol the lineage of the Alpine brand to Brits in an attempt to sell more of the cars here, as the brand was/is less recognisable than competitors such as Porsche, etc.

Ironically, the A110 would be a much better car to own now, in terms of value...

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

127 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
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I presume that the Clarkson crash was caused by the jamming steering lock he mentioned?

Personally, I can't see the appeal of these. They look like a cut-and-shut job between two equally ugly but mismatched cars. Add into that 80s French build quality, only moderate performance and the effects of turbocharging, it's easy to see why a nice 993 Carrera commands such a premium.

clee

66 posts

198 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
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No....telly not real life ..Clarkson being a nob .If the Venturi had cost less then that would have gone into the wall .
I think the http://www.renaultalpine.co.uk/ have a letter of apology somewhere ......

Quickmoose

Original Poster:

4,482 posts

122 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
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crazy windscreen wipers...

andy97

4,691 posts

221 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
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blueg33 said:
andy97 said:
I prefer the look of the GTA to the A610. Thought about buying one a good few years ago and test drove one in Cambridgeshire. It drove nicely but the interior seemed poor quality and the electrics were shocking - the speedo only worked for part of the drive, the electric windows started off not working, then did and then didn't and to cap it all I couldn't get out of the car because the linkage in the door lock mechanism failed.

Good to be different but only as a second or third car now though!
The doors have two releases, electric one and mechanical one (handle down at the side of the seat), its rare for both to fail.
Either way the owner had to get out and let me out. I still like them but I needed a reliable car then and can't justify more cars now !

clee

66 posts

198 months

Monday 12th May 2014
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They are just as reliable as any other car from that era French,German whatever.Use them and they'll be fine .Engine control is as simple as it gets and if used very rarely give any major problems .OK ,things like door solenoids and window motors mayn fail but does that really matter ? Simple enough fixes and after 25 years what do you expect ??

blueg33

35,586 posts

223 months

Monday 12th May 2014
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My GTA Turbo is now in the PH classifieds.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/r...

Mods please feel free to remove this post if I have broken any rules

Harji

2,196 posts

160 months

Wednesday 14th May 2014
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For a rare car there seems to be quite a few PH'ers who have owned or own one. I like em, what are they like to drive?