Alpine History

Alpine (GTA) V6 GT - V6 Turbo & LeMann

1984 saw the launch of the Alpine V6 GT; a new Alpine vehicle produced from plastic and polyester components.

Engine V6 2849cc 160 BHP 221Nm
0-62mph (0-100km/h) 8s
Top speed 146mph (235km/h)
1000m standing start 28s
1/4 mile (400m) standing start 15.5s
Kerb weight 1140kg

In 1985 the V6 Turbo was introduced to complete the range. This car was faster and more powerful than the normally aspirated version.

Engine V6 2458cc 200BHP 285Nm
0-62mph (0-100km/h) 7s
Top speed 155mph (250km/h)
1000m standing start 26.8s
1/4 mile (400m) standing start 14.5s
Kerb weight 1180kg

In 1986 polyester parts were cut for the first time by robot using a high pressure (3500 bar) water jet, 0.15mm in diameter at three times the speed of sound! In the same year the American specification V6 Turbo was developed.

In 1987 fitment of anti-pollution systems allowed the V6 Turbo to be distributed to Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

1989 saw the launch of the limited edition GTA 'Mille Miles' to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Alpine. Production was limited to 100 cars, all fitted with ABS braking, polished wheels, special leather interior and paintwork. This version was not available in RHD.

Performance figures quoted are factory figures. Many contemporary motoring magazines recorded faster 0-100km/h times for the V6 GT & V6 Turbo. e.g. V6 Turbo 0-60 5.8s (What Car March 1987)

GTA Le Mans

1990 saw the launch of the special edition wide bodied GTA 'Le Mans'. The car wore polyester wheel arch extensions with a one piece front. Wheels were 3 piece BBS style, 16" front & 17" rear. Otherwise identical mechanically to the V6 Turbo, the engine was fitted with a catalytic converter and power was reduced to 185BHP. This model was available in the UK and RHD versions carried a numbered plaque on the dashboard. The Le Mans is the most collectable and valuable GTA derivative (sorry A610 owners!).

Production Numbers

These figures are the official production numbers supplied by the Alpine factory. Please note that the year of manufacture is not necessarily the same as the year of registration. For example a GTA manufactured in 1990 may not have been registered until 1992

Right Hand Drive

Production numbers for RHD cars were extremely low. Many other homologation 'specials' which are generally considered to be rare (e.g. the original 3 door Sierra Cosworth) were produced in volumes of over 5000. The total production run for all GTA derivatives including the Le Mans and A610 was 649 vehicles.

Year of Manufacture D500 V6 GT RHD D501 V6 Turbo RHD D502 V6 Turbo RHD D502 Le Mans RHD A610 RHD
1986 46 101
1987 26 53
1988 72 112
1989 42 62
1990 26 13 3 26
1991 3
1992 28
1993 10
1994 18
1995 8
Total 212 341 3 26 67

The rarest RHD GTA derivative is the narrow body D502 (sorry wide-bodied Le Mans owners!) with only 3 right hand drive vehicles produced. If you own one of these cars you probably don't even know, but should be able to recognise it by the catalytic converter (or of course the oval plate). If you have a late registration GTA Turbo, go out and have a look!

Left Hand Drive

Production numbers for LHD vehicles were far higher, The following table records the total number of each model produced for comparative purposes.

Model D500 V6 GT LHD D501 V6 Turbo LHD D502 V6 Turbo LHD D502 Le Mans LHD A610 LHD
Total 1297 3810 485 299 751

The total production run for LHD GTA derivatives was 6642 vehicles.

Others

21 USA spec GTA's were produced in 1987 for the American market. You can see photographs of this rare vehicle in the Dieppe 2001 photo-gallery.

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