1990 – Renault Alpine GTA

It was year 1955 when a rally driver and Renault car dealer Jean Redele opened his own company – Alpine. They made sports cars using Renault parts – as a separate company – but you could see their cars right next to Renaults in the very same dealerships. Alpine racers were very successful in Le Mans, and model A110 won Rally Monte Carlo in the early ’70s.

The crisis came in the ’70s and put the small company in a bad position – and Renault, since Alpine was a good and valued partner, they pumped money in their pockets and kept them on the market. At that moment they offered 2 models: A110 and A310. The first one… it still was successful – yes, but getting older quickly and instead of working on a fresh configuration of the same, decision was made to close the project. And so A110 – first introduced in 1963 – kicked the bucket in ’77. Not all was lost though. It’s chassis and engine still lived in the new A310s starting from year 1971, and in 1977 they introduced 2.6l V6 for that car – able to generate 150 bhp so it could compete against Porsches on equal terms. That car was a hit! The factories were delivering over 1 thousand of such per year, and Alpine was back in business.

The end of ’70s and early ’80s can be called one big success for Alpine. They’re turbo engines kept finishing first in Formula 1, and A442 dominated at Le Mans. Now well experienced Frenchmen crafted a 2,5l turbo V6 capable of 200 bhp. It was meant to put life in the A310’s successor – among with a naturally aspirated V6 generating 160 bhp.

That’s how GTA was born – Grand Tourismo Alpine. Came to life and OWNED the 1985 Geneva Motorshow. It looked like A310 derivation, but the design might be the only similarity. With that model came new trophies and limited series like Mille Miles and Le Mans. GTA’s replacement was introduced in 1990 as A610 was shown to world – with it’s 250 bhp 3-litre engine.