Certain criteria tend to exist when it comes to company cars. Bosses don't want to pay for extortionate fuel bills for their reps to slog up and down motorways, so diesel effectively chooses itself. The German marques are desirable too, resulting in our major roads beings clogged with 320ds and the like.
Unusual find in a Subaru garage...
Alpine A610
can be justified as a company car, even 20 years ago, it's hard to know. If only more businesses could be managed in a similar fashion then all motorways journeys would be significantly more interesting.
The story behind this A610 is fantastic. Having covered 42,000 miles in three years as his company hack, the driver of the Alpine was so enamoured by it that he bought the car once the lease had run out. It was then used as a weekend plaything, including trips to Goodwood and Le Mans, before being purchased by its current Renault mad owner in 2012. The latter is now selling the car. At a Subaru dealership. Huh?
Turns out the dealer was a Renault franchise but now with the Subaru venture more space is required for more 'on-brand' vehicles. Indeed, it does sit rather incongruously amongst the XVs and Foresters with a Subaru dealer plate affixed.
All A610s are rare, with only 68 RHD cars produced, but this one is especially so as only two UK cars were reputedly made in pearlescent green. The detail in the advert implies meticulous care, a point reinforced by the pics; it looks immaculate.
Any discussion of the A610 isn't complete without mentioning that Porsche. Conveniently enough, 1993 is of course the 993 era but with apparently no ceiling on the values of the last air-cooled 911 the Alpine is made to look conspicuously good value. Spend £20K on a 993 and you'll get a Tiptronic C2 with 136,000 miles. Mmm. For a Carrera with a similar mileage to the A610 and £38K is required.
It won't suit all tastes, but the underrated A610 is an intriguing and capable alternative choice to that old Porsche. We like it rather a lot.
ALPINE A610
Engine: 2,975cc turbocharged V6
Transmission: Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 253@5,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 258@2,900rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1993
Recorded mileage: 65,400
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £19,950
See the original ad here.
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