This Rear-Engined Porsche 944 Competitor Was Saved By A Turbocharger

Typically, when we think of where the quintessential sports car hails from, the countries that come to mind first are ones like Italy, England, Germany, and the United States, with legends like the Lamborghini Countach, Jaguar XJ220, Porsche 911, and Chevrolet Corvette. Of course, Japan also gets a spot up at the top of the running, as they’ve produced a litany of great sports cars over the decades. It just seems that there are a few countries around the world that seem to get it better than others when it comes to designing and building sports cars.

Porsche

Porsche is a German sports car manufacturer and part of the broader Volkswagen Group since August 2012. Founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, the brand is most famous for the 911 line of sports cars, which first launched in September 1963. But it was the Porsche 356 that came first, and subsequently, Porsche has expanded its model lineup to include a variety of sports cars, supercars, SUVs, sedans, and even EVs. Porsche has a rich history in motorsport, with 19 outright Le Mans victories to its name, among various other titles. 

Founded

1948

Founder

Ferdinand Porsche

Headquarters

Stuttgart, Germany

Owned By

Volkswagen

Current CEO

Oliver Blume

One country we don’t usually think of for its sports car-building prowess is France. Over the course of automotive history, France has played a large part, especially in the beginning. The first mass-produced front-wheel-drive car came from France, along with the world’s only road-legal propellor-operated car. France has also been known for its luxury cars, along with its ability to build cars with excellent ride quality that soak up cobbled European streets, and, of course, their hot hatches, but not their sports cars.

However, France produced a sports car back in the 1980s called the Renault Alpine GTA V6 Turbo. It was meant to go toe-to-toe with Porsche’s 944, and if it weren’t for the help of a turbocharger, we wouldn’t even be writing about it today.

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A Close Shave

Renault Alpine GTA V6 Turbo Quick Facts

• Introduced in 1985
• Meant to help stimulate very sluggish sales of the Renault Alpine GTA V6 GT
• Built to compete directly with the Porsche 944
• Axed following the 1991 model year

The Renault Alpine GTA V6 Turbo was one of the first cars produced following Renault’s acquisition of Alpine, itself a standalone company prior. The GTA was produced to compete with the likes of other European sports cars, such as the Porsche 944. However, while those models had their engines mounted in the front, the GTA V6 GT had a longitudinally oriented rear-mounted engine, like the Porsche 911. Its body was made from fiberglass and polyester plastics, making it lighter even than the physically smaller 944.

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By the time the Alpine GTA V6 Turbo came along at the end of 1985 for the 1986 model year, Alpine’s sports car was struggling greatly. Due to its low-output engines coupled with dynamic styling that suggested it was more powerful than it actually was, the GTA V6 GT was hemorrhaging sales to other competitors. With Alpine’s help, Renault quickly formulated a supplemental model, called the GTA V6 Turbo, to help the floundering sports car live up to its sporty aspirations.

Following its unveiling at the 1985 Birmingham Auto Show, the GTA V6 Turbo’s sales took off. Despite producing less power than the Porsche 944, it was able to rocket from 0-60 mph in the low-six-second range, comparable to the Porsche 944 Turbo. A US-market version was planned, but due to corporate restructuring involving AMC and Renault, it never came to fruition. 1990 saw the introduction of the “Le Mans” GTA V6 Turbo, which added unique cosmetic upgrades such as a revised front fascia and a modest, polyurethane ground-effect kit.

The GTA V6 Turbo’s Heart Transplant

As we touched on just a moment ago, the regular Renault Alpine GTA V6 GT was performing poorly in terms of sales – and on the test track. Its power figures were underwhelming and disappointing according to the motoring press and public alike, as it produced just 160 horsepower. With the addition of the turbocharged iteration to the lineup in 1986, the GTA suddenly found itself producing 200 horsepower, a number within a shout of the Porsche 944 Turbo’s 220 horses.

*Specs courtesy of Supercars.net

Unlike the Porsche 911’s rear-mounted air-cooled flat-six power unit, however, the Alpine GTA had a turbocharged and water-cooled 90-degree 2.5L V6 hanging out behind the rear axle. It was part of the collaboratively developed Peugeot-Renault-Volvo (PRV) V6 engine family, whose origins date back to 1974. The V6 was produced in-house by Renault as part of a collaboration between the three automakers called the “Française de Mécanique”. The variant used in the GTA Turbo was the Z7U-730. The PRV V6 also featured in the DMC DeLorean in naturally aspirated 2.85L format. Its general makeup is very utilitarian, as it was based on an older V8 engine design that was scrapped during the first Energy Crisis in 1973 – hence the untypical-for-a-V6 90-degree bank angle. The Z7U-730 was considered generally reliable.

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The 200-hp GTA V6 Turbo was short-lived, unfortunately. The reason was, in 1990, the French government began cracking down on its domestic automobile manufacturers – Renault in particular – regarding emissions. In order to comply, the GTA V6 Turbo had to be detuned from 200 to 185 hp. While other Renault motors actually increased in power during this time, the GTA V6 Turbo wasn’t so lucky, with reasons such as the cost and complexity of getting it compliant cited by Renault when asked why the GTA V6 Turbo lost power while other Renaults gained power. Changes to the GTA V6 Turbo’s gearing were made to help hide the car’s loss of oomph.

Toe To Toe With The Porsche 944 Turbo

Seeing as the Renault Alpine GTA V6 Turbo’s biggest adversary was the Porsche 944 Turbo, it’s only fitting that we’d pit them head to head and see which actually comes out on top in a shootout. Straight off the bat, the Porsche 944 Turbo gains the upper hand due to its higher power output, boasting 220 horsepower as opposed to the Renault Alpine GTA V6 Turbo’s 200 hp.

So, despite the Porsche being much more popular and well-renowned, it seems the French sports car wins out in virtually every category listed above, save top speed and 0-60 mph time. Not to mention, it was over $10,000 cheaper, or about $28,151.32 in today’s money. In other words, springing for the French sports car over the Porsche 944 Turbo saved you enough money to buy a top-trim 2025 Chevrolet Trax to accompany your new GTA V6 Turbo and still have money left over, if we translated everything to 2025 prices for context.

Alpine’s Semi-Final Swansong: The A610

Following the cancelation of the Renault Alpine GTA V6 Turbo in 1991, a successor was named. This time, the Renault Alpine name was dropped in favor of just “Alpine”, and the new model was named the A610. It looked very similar to the GTA, but it was a complete redesign, carrying over only the GTA’s greenhouse. The A610 took advantage of a tuned version of the 2.5-liter turbocharged powerplant, with a horsepower rating now reaching 247 hp. The upped power meant the A610 was faster and quicker, with a top speed of 165 mph and a 0-60 mph time measuring 5.7 seconds.

Above: 2025 Alpine A110 GTS

The Alpine A610 was around for just four years, eventually reaching the end of its life at the end of the 1995 model year. With the discontinuation of the A610, it marked Alpine’s last sports car until the re-released Alpine A110 hit the market in 2017. However, while the modern Alpine A110 was well-received by the automotive community, Alpine has discontinued that, too, meaning the company is, again, without a sports car. A new A310 to rival the 911 is on the horizon, but that will only arrive in 2028.

Sources: Supercars.com, Motor1, MotorTrend, CarFolio.com.