RE: Renault GTA/A610: Catch It While You Can

RE: Renault GTA/A610: Catch It While You Can

Thursday 2nd March 2017

Renault GTA/A610: Catch It While You Can

Alpine is back - is now the time to catch an old one as interest revives?



Is Alpine done launching its new A110 yet? No? Next week, you say? Jolly good. Let's hope that turns out to be the actual, definitive unveiling, rather than just another teaser. And while we wait to find out, let's fill the time with a trip back to the brand's last endeavour.


But what to call it? Were we anywhere else in the world, there'd be no question - both the original GTA and its heavily facelifted A610 successor would be known as Alpines. But here in the UK, thanks to a pre-existing trademark conflict ('Alpine' already being owned by Talbot), the GTA wore Renault badging, while the A610 simply wore an 'A' logo with no further manufacturer branding whatsoever although officially it, too, was a Renault.

The GTA was first released in 1985 in two forms. There was the naturally-aspirated 2.8-litre V6, its 160hp output and eight-second 0-62mph time pitting it against cars like the Porsche 944, Ford Capri 2.8 Injection and Toyota Celica Supra. And there was the 2.5-litre V6 Turbo, with a boost to 200hp and a 0-62mph time of seven seconds.

If none of these figures sounds all that exhilarating, it's probably because they weren't. Then again, it's claimed (as it so often is with cars of this era) that the acceleration times at least were conservative; What Car?, for example, is said to have timed a Turbo to 60mph (note, not 62mph) in just 5.8 seconds - considerably more impressive.


Either way, you still got terrific traction thanks to that rear-mounted engine, and thanks to diligent set-up work by Renault, the GTA did without any of the terrifying tail-happy tactics so often associated with that layout. Sure, it would sling its tail wide under power if you provoked it, but it would do so slowly; meanwhile, up front, the well-weighted, communicative steering turned the nose in deftly, making the GTA a delightful thing in which to make progress.

By 1991, though, the competition had well and truly overtaken the GTA. Ford could sell you a family saloon with more power than either model, for example, while the Lotus Carlton would have obliterated it. An upgrade was sorely needed, then. Enter the A610. Gone was the naturally-aspirated option, leaving only the Turbo variant, whose PRV V6 was enlarged to three litres, gaining a 50hp power upgrade in the process.

That meant the A610 Turbo had a far healthier official 0-62mph time of 5.7 seconds, pitching it well and truly into Porsche 911 territory. But by now the Renault brand was too closely associated with the car, leaving it looking rather less desirable than any Porsche. The same could be said for the plasticky interior, and the fast-becoming-passe pop-up headlamps. As a result, despite a four-year production run, just 67 right-hand-drive examples were sold.


That makes the A610 the most valuable of the bunch today, but even then its prices aren't where you might expect. Anything vaguely potent and interesting from the late 1980s or early 1990s is now looking like a prime suspect for a price hike, yet a decent, usable A610 Turbo recently went for just £10,400 on eBay. That, frankly, seems like a bargain, but it isn't the only one. We've seen early naturally-aspirated V6s going for around the £8,000 mark, and a GTA Turbo over in Northern Ireland is currently for sale asking around £11,000.

Even the most immaculate, concours-condition A610s with showroom mileages aren't stratospherically pricey, as we discovered this time last year. £39,995 is a lot of money to pay for an A610, but compare this to what you'd pay for a Porsche 993 or a Ford Sierra Cosworth with similar mileage, and suddenly it seems less so.

What's more, when Alpine does finally launch its new car proper, you can expect these values to start to rise. Once the marque is back in the public consciousness, people are going to start to rediscover Alpines of old - and when they do, it's a pretty surefire bet that prices will jump into line with similar 1980s fayre. So get in quick - and thank your lucky stars that the lengthy gestation of the new Alpine has lasted as long as it has.

Author
Discussion

Uncle Ron

Original Poster:

401 posts

98 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
Much prefer the looks of the A310 personally but either way they were both big money back in the day and I wouldn't be surprised to see values picking up with the return of the brand.

j90gta

563 posts

133 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
Bought my Gardenia White GTA Turbo in August 1994 for £12,500. The previous owner paid £30,000 for it in October 1991. Just waiting for some welding to the rear subframe and should be back on the road soon.

Blib

43,729 posts

196 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
In 1989, I bought a new, non turbo, GTA. It was a fantastic car, when it bothered to work. From the get go, the engine started playing up. I had a courtesy car for so long that my daughter gave it a nickname.

After a few months toing and froing they bought the car back from me as I'd had enough.

And that was that. Or, so I thought. Until, about four years ago, I found myself queuing to get into a Sunday Service behind it!!! I offered to buy the car from the owner on the spot. He declined my offer only to contact me several months later as he'd decided to sell.

However, the moment had passed and it was my turn to walk away.

Here she is. This was taken at the SS.


Sid123

254 posts

176 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
I worked at a Renault Performance Centre '89-'91 and had the pleasure of selling (or more usually not) these cars.
I managed to sell one second-hand Turbo in 2 years.......
Most punters I met were trading up from GTV6s, Supras, XR4is et al
People liked the drive, as it was undeniably good, but they couldn't live with the badge (build quality wasn't stunning either).
I think most bought 944 Turbos/911s which cost similar money as they didn't want to drive a Renault.

On a slight tangent the 21 Turbo suffered a similar sales fate.
It was a tremendous performance car, good value and well specced, but people again weren't so keen on the badge...... shame really.

Morningside

24,110 posts

228 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
I've only ever seen two. One in Southwold in the late 1980s and the other was last year at Suffolk car show.

LotusOmega375D

7,564 posts

152 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
This is my brother's. He's owned it since the early 1990s, but it's been off the road on SORN in some garage for years and years.

These photos are from a short interim period under my ownership, probably about 2000-ish.


anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
Definitely an interesting car. I still have a yellow Renault Sport umbrella which was given to me by the dealer when I went to drive one.

Very, very few were ever sold in UK, despite RHD.

To my taste that Renault interior would be difficult to love.

In summary, unless you're determined to embrace Johnny Frenchman the Lotus Esprit is a more attractive option.

LotusOmega375D

7,564 posts

152 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
The Autocar performance figures for their GTA V6 Turbo test car (Reg. C34 WRK) published 23.07.86 were:

0 - 60mph: 6.3 seconds
Top speed: average: 149 mph @ 5650 rpm, best: 152 mph @ 5750 rpm

Test carried out at MIRA and Millbrook so you'd expect it to be accurate.

sim16v

2,176 posts

200 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
I had a "barn find" turbo and got it back on the road and presentable from about 100 yards a couple of years ago!

Sold it as a useable resto project as I couldn't afford to do it at the time.

Was a great drive, but the electrics only worked when they wanted to.

The current owner actually got in touch recently, and it is nice to see that it has been fully restored.

These photos are from when I had it.




warrenlovescars

18 posts

84 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
erm, the car thats being lauched by Alpine is a descendent of the A110 and you wont get much change from £100k if you can find one of those for sale

Blib

43,729 posts

196 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
rockin said:
Very, very few were ever sold in UK, despite RHD.

To my taste that Renault interior would be difficult to love.
I think my car, which was n/a, cost £23,000 in '89. During that year, Renault sold a grand total of 93 cars, WORLDWIDE.

Krikkit

26,494 posts

180 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
warrenlovescars said:
Erm, the car that's being launched by Alpine is a descendent of the A110 and you wont get much change from £100k if you can find one of those for sale
Descendent, as in the one after the A310 and the A610 from the same brand which were both descendants of the A110 you mean?

Valid comparison as far as I can see.

HorneyMX5

5,306 posts

149 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
The chairman of Farnborough District Motor Club (FDMC) sprints a GTA Turbo that's been tweaked a bit. It bloody shifts and makes the best noise. I want one really badly.

BIRMA

3,799 posts

193 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
Here is my old A610 with it's stablemate a late V8 Esprit. Both great cars but I have to say I favoured the A610. In 2012 I took the Alpine to the Classic Le Mans with the Alpine owners group there is a video of me somewhere going absolutely flat out down the Mulsanne Straight that was back in the days when you could go flat out on the parade laps. Great car and I really enjoyed owning it.


D-Angle

4,467 posts

241 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
Love the Spider wheels, really suit it. I think I read once that the A610 and the Esprit shared a gearbox?

BIRMA

3,799 posts

193 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
D-Angle said:
Love the Spider wheels, really suit it. I think I read once that the A610 and the Esprit shared a gearbox?
That's right but I think Alpine got first dibs on the best ones because the gearbox on the Alpine was excellent and OK on the Esprit.

Snubs

1,163 posts

138 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
Worth it for the clap-hand windscreen wipers alone IMO smile

Blib

43,729 posts

196 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
Snubs said:
Worth it for the clap-hand windscreen wipers alone IMO smile
Slight issue in that they were configured for LHD and so the sweep was not optimal.

(I'd forgotten all about that. hehe )

f1ten

2,161 posts

152 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
They do look good though I saw a la mode yellow one on the road yesterday unbelievably

Blib

43,729 posts

196 months

Thursday 2nd March 2017
quotequote all
Just dug this shot out. This was from a road trip to France with friends in about February 1990.