1987 Renault Alliance GTA Review - A Rare 1980's Performance Car!

[@Crispychicken4u]

Hats off to the owner keeping this Renault in impeccable condition. Sold in limited numbers and long forgotten til now.

[@lrwilliston]

Bought one of these brand new with my first job in '86. They were not as slow as he lets on, weighing only 1975 lbs. With that weight and the torky engine, I would beat 5L Firebirds and any GTIs on the road, but could not quite keep up with 5L Mustangs. The Michelin Sport XGT tires they came with didn't come on any other production car and made the car the best cornering vehicle sold in North America that year. The seats, when new, fit like a glove, so maybe 40 year old foam is letting them down now. Here in Canada they were badged and registered as Renault GTA, with no Alliance badge anywhere.

[@celsovera91]

The Renault alliance GTA wasn’t their last car here in the states. That honor goes to the Renault medallion. Weirdly enough, even though was sold for two model years, the first year was sold as a Renault, and then the second year was sold as an eagle

[@scottdavis_34]

My parents bought a Medallion (Renault nameplate) in the fall of 87 for the 88 model year. They had previously had an Alliance and had relatively good luck with it. The Medallion on the other hand was awful. Worst car I’ve ever seen. Problems galore.

[@pcno2832]

@@scottdavis_34 I worked with a woman who had pretty good luck with one, but I guess cars, especially non-Japanese cars, are always a crap shoot. In Europe, the Medallion was sold in versions with both longitudinal and transverse engines, depending on the model, and the wagons had a pretty substantial wheelbase stretch. The Eagle Premier and Dodge Monaco were really Canadian versions of the Renault 25, which had been used as a state limousine for French President Mitterand. I bought a '92 Monaco in late 1991, fully equipped for $12,999; it was one of the better "Chrysler" cars I've ever owned. The interior had much better fit and finish than any U.S.-designed Chrysler product of that time.

[@eddymorel8503]

Technically the last Renault in the United States and the Lesharo Winnebago and Freedom Mack. Techniquement la dernière Renault aux Etats Unis et la Lesharo Winnebago et Freedom Mack .

[@xnopyt13]

The medallion has to be the rarest non exotic usdm car in the us

[@TheToto4562]

What about the Fuego? Sold in Canada

[@markhealey9409]

Stereo with an AMC logo!! Not seen one of those in a VERY long time! 🤣🤣

[@therealboofighter]

I thought it was Nakamichi

[@toddgiambruno]

Great review Zack!! So glad you are not critical! Honest but not critical; beat the poor car up critical. GTA did have some interior quality issues but the fun, free slick shifting nature of this quirky car made up for it. My Dad bought one identical to this example new in '87. I thought it was quick enough and LOVED the handling with the original tires. So much fun! Dad bought his with a beautiful Jensen cassette deck and the optional 7 band graphic equalizer below the radio in the cubby. looked fabulous at night with orange lighting at each button. This was the first car he had a cassette deck in. He listened to nothing but talk radio! He asked me to put a song on a 90 minute tape. I asked what songs; he said Jackie Wilson's Your Love Lifts Me Higher. That was it over and over for 90 minutes!!

[@BlakeMcBride]

My first car was a GTA. It was never very reliable, but it was a lot of fun to drive.

[@Fay-wx7ob]

There are still many people in Turkey who actively use it. I am one of them. I own a 1992 model Renault 9 spring. It was sold in Turkey under the packages named spring, broadway and fairway. If I remember correctly, it remained in production until 2001. It was produced with 1.4, 1.6 and their injection models. 9,11 and 12 are still used and very popular vehicles in Turkey.

[@blisterbrain]

They are really comfortable for their size, and have the luxurious ride of a larger automobile. They also hold the road better than you would think, and are reasonably quick.

[@cfhammargren]

Awesome review! I grew up in an 87 GTA! Same color and same options as the one in this video except we had the upgraded stereo with equalizer. My father worked for the Jeep/Eagle/Chrysler/Renault dealership in the 80s and bought one from his own lot. I learned everything about this car before I was old enough to drive and eventually got to drive it for a short time. Learned how to drive a manual in one of these too. Unfortunately it broke a timing belt on us twice so we sold it to a local Renault enthusiast in the North Seattle area who was a genius with these things. Unfortunately due to health problems he let it rust away in his front yard. What I wouldn't give to go back in time and rip that car out from under him. Such a terrible end for a great first car.

[@pgtmr2713]

That front on shot shows how meticulous the owner is. Old lights, nothing looks misaligned in the slightest.

[@tientrinh943]

Is it really? I’m confused lol

[@retrocompaq5212]

car is lowered means its ruined

[@lrwilliston]

@@retrocompaq5212 Had one from new and they were pretty much this height. Over time the rear torsion bars started to sag with age and the front became higher, at least mine did. The back end being higher means that the guy might have just adjusted to torsion bars back to original

[@RagShop1]

I wanted one of these to replace my 1985 Renault Encore but couldn't take the plunge back then. Long regretted not buying one.

[@ForeverDownByLaw]

Always wanted one of these. I remember when they were reviewed in the car magazines of the day.

[@maxeluy]

Sport Renault's are very good, 5 Turbo, 18 Turbo, 21 Turbo, Fuego GTA, 19 16s, Clio Williams, etc, etc, they are all amazing

[@moufidyh4456]

This car looks so clean it's in great shape but the most thing I like about this car is the color

[@theadvocate4698]

Beautiful and rare! Cool car!

[@daved3948]

I learned how to drive a manual in one of these 😊

[@eddymorel8503]

Excellent video, in France, we had the R9 in the 1.4l Turbo version with 105 hp. Excellente vidéo, en France, nous avons eu la R9 en version Turbo 1.4l de 105 cv.

[@Clement.V]

Si je dis pas de bêtises l'alliance Gta, c'est une R9 turbo sans turbo. If i am right, the Alliance GTA is a Renault 9 Turbo without turbo.

[@rjft7003]

​@@Clement.VR9 Turbo > 1.4 cc turbo. R Alliance GTA USA > 2.0 cc 8v, SOHC, Injection > pas le meme moteur.

[@Clement.V]

@@rjft7003 ah je ne le savais pas.

[@bikingD]

Really nice car. Remember when new and almost bought one. Brother had a one year only rare 83 Alliance MT 2 door manual very similar and use to like that car too

[@aca2983]

I was a h.s. senior in 1987. I liked these better than a VW GTI, and certainly more than a Escort GT. The Omni GLH was kinda hot with it's turbo, but those cars were not very refined. Also, you get a GTA in a convertible! The GTA was "Euro" like a GTI, but in my parts VWs were expensive and the nearest dealer was 50 miles.

[@bwofficial1776]

Nice-looking car and a rare survivor. I've seen an Alliance convertible, it sort of had a baby BMW vibe to it. These did decently well but not well enough to compete with all of the other subcompacts with easier to find dealers and parts. AMC simply didn't have the might to compete and if it weren't for Renault propping them up they would have been gone long before Chrysler bought them out. Chrysler only bought AMC for Jeep. The Alliance name came about because this car was an alliance between AMC and Renault and was built in AMC's Kenosha factory.

[@landonbenford8369]

I HATE It when an auto plant closes. So many other businesses depend on it. I was in high school in 1987, but I bet Kenosha hasn't been the same since.😢😢

[@Scotty_in_Ohio]

Two of my friends had these - while they had as much horsepower as a cold chicken salad sandwich they handled extremely well for the day and did rather well in SCCA Solo II (Autocross) - I always wanted one but after cars that handled better came out and my budget was a bit more I'd sort of lost interest in these. My girlfriend at the time (now my wife) _almost_ bought a used LeCar - dodged that bullet ;-) Great to see that at least a couple of these survived.

[@Doctor_Robert]

Genuinely one of my bucket list cars. Just a fantastic find, Zack! I would love to race my '87 Peugeot 505 V6 against this thing! It seems like a worthy rival. :3

[@youtuber5709]

In France, and other parts of the world it was known as the Renault 9.

[@Doctor_Robert]

7:00 Personally, I'm getting Mk I and Mk II Jetta vibes.

[@fabyrbl8177]

those tail lights remind me of the Dacia 1310/1410

[@karoltakisobie6638]

You don't need 200hp to have genuinely cool and fun car. I'm sure Zack can think of many small cars as much fun as this one, unfortunately they are all gone and replaced with huge, heavy SUVs with engines making crazy HP plus turbocharger. Simple is nice 👍

[@fotosapient]

Never seen a steering wheel offset so far to the right!! Great review because I remember this car and love it very much to this day. ❤

[@sasha69150]

The french license plate is weird , i checked the numbers , it belongs to a Renault Master , also the " alliance GTA " was never sold here in France .

[@mbd501]

The owner must've obtained it for decorative purposes. The real license plate's in the back.

[@RapideWombaticus]

I love the look of this - so 80's and it would be a bit of fun too

[@FPH-yi8yl]

I've driven one a couple of times. I honestly liked it.

[@tsnoack]

you put out great reviews dude, would love to see you and hoovie get together for a few

[@michaelprozonic]

I owned one of these. It was really fun to drive. Horrible in snow because it had no body weight and pretty wide tires that acted like skis on snow

[@alice_in_pains]

I kinda just found your channel a few days ago and have probably watched like 5 of your vids and every single one has failed the big friggin bottle test 😂

[@tonysvwaudiparts]

I have to admit, I love these cars. I worked at a salvage yard when I was in high school and there were still some of these around, I always thought they were very clean style. Your comment about slow cars driven fast, I have to strongly disagree with you. I agree that it can be a lot of fun. But a Ford focus ST is not a slow car. An example of a slow car would be a Hyundai accent. The point I'm making is simply this, when we speak of driving a slow car fast, we're talking about a car that can't build enough speed in normal driving to be in anyway dangerous.

[@TA_Plus_Hemi]

I sat behind the driver of a 07 Mustang and had to use the steering wheel to have a handhold to get out legs first. My feet were stuck under the seat

[@landonbenford8369]

In 1991 me and my coworkers made a lunch run and I sat behind the driver of an '89 Mustang. Packed like a sardine. GREAT CAR but that backseat is Not for anyone older than 12.😊

[@michaeldewane2002]

It's a 2 door Alliance not an Encore. The 2 door Encore is a hatchback. The Encore came out a year after the Alliance. Both were available in 2 and 4 door variants.

[@gregrisley1050]

I bought a white GTA right after high school graduation. I couldn't afford a VW Golf GTI. The handling on the GTA was so crisp and tight, that it was a blast to take on little back roads.

[@KevinBelmontLuna]

Boxy cars like this make me blush!

[@margeharrison7638]

that was a hot looking little car!

[@christianbattestin9747]

I believe that Renault was the first make to use pneumatic tires, in the 1890s.

[@splashboy1511]

I am happily surprised at the lack of "French car bad" in this comment section. Nice to read some actual car guy comments for once : )

[@kwaza8574]

Car look great. Wonder how it is viewed in its home market France?

[@bwofficial1776]

Quite well. The Renault 9 and 11 did very well. They looked slightly different because the Alliance was Americanized to meet our particular regulations.

[@jorgehorta980]

And Europe had the 1.4 litre Turbo 😈😈

[@jorgehorta980]

And Europe didn’t had that coupe version. Europe had the 9/11 family in 4 doors saloon and 3/5 doors hatchback.

[@broadysykes6649]

My father still own his. His however is the convertible edition(red exterior with a tan top and interior). He has owned it since he was 17….he is now 53….and best of all…26k original miles!!!!

[@davidp2888]

I remember when these came out new.

[@JCVACCARO]

I remember the auto magazines Motor Trend Car and Driver praising this car for its handling. 9.5 0-60. I'll take the 87 Shelby Charger.

[@landonbenford8369]

Back in the 80's Anything under 10 seconds was pretty darn fast.😊

[@pcno2832]

It's too bad the Alliance didn't make it; the engine in the GTA (a name gamers would love) should have been standard from day one. The pedestal front seats were the main reason the back had so much legroom. That feature should have spread to other cars, but it was probably a challenge making them strong enough to avoid sagging to one side.

[@scottbahlavooni6071]

awesome video! Is this one for sale?

[@kclefthanded427]

A good set of grippy tires can come a long way

[@NewBeRVer]

I’ve always wanted this car. Something different. 🙂

[@94Cobra123]

I always loved the look of these cars even if the performance fell short. If I was a college graduate in 1987 and got my first job, I could see me putting money down on this car.

[@dave11686]

Very cool

[@Mr-Neven]

I love that steering wheel

[@landonbenford8369]

...But where's the horn?😮Do you push the circular Renault symbol?

[@therealboofighter]

That radio might be an aftermarket one, that logo is Nackamichi.

[@hollybirge4087]

You need to go to France and test newer French cars. That could be fun.

[@alexandermathar7780]

There could have been a Sledgehammer Alliance with a 2.2 l turbo and 430 HP.!

[@James-mw6se]

Nice car look great

[@foxxyguy2681]

I would do anything to own a Alliance GTA these are so nice and if I cant find one I guess i will settle for a Sentra or something similar.

[@Jac735]

Get an 80s Sentra had a 87 as my first car and it was fun to frove an own rare too

[@foxxyguy2681]

@@Jac735 I could also get a 87' Pulsar NX Coupe since they are still around in my area actually

[@Jac735]

@@foxxyguy2681 were do you live

[@btrdangerdan2010]

Why does it look so much like my car Ollie Nissan that you reviewed earlier this year Zack?

[@ramblergarage]

That is not based on the encore. Its based on 2 door alliance.

[@JT8D200C]

What key unlocks the doors? Is it the ignition key or the trunk key?

[@bwofficial1776]

Trunk key. The ignition key is for the ignition, the other key is for everything else. In the old days you could lock everything up and only give the valet the ignition key so they could drive the car but not get into the trunk or glove box.

[@darrinbush5953]

I had a silver one, very fun to drive

[@markhealey9409]

Why did someone put a single aftermarket rear foglight on the wrong side for left hand drive car??!! 🤣🤣

[@bwofficial1776]

They probably did it because the exhaust is on the driver's side.

[@landonbenford8369]

In Europe it's required to have 1 bright red light facing the car behind you so those drivers can see you in thick fog. Audi's from earlier this century have them built into the regular taillights. Thick fog is a VERY SERIOUS problem over there and MANY have been killed in pileups.😢😢

[@michaelbergschneider2446]

I loved these things. I nearly bought one, but decided on 1987 GTI instead.

[@Snake-ms7sj]

Back in the 1990's I had a 1977 Lincoln town car with a 460 V8 running with bad compression as it wasn't taken care of. I was doing like 55 mph and one of these GTA's came up next to me and tried to pass me on the left. I hit the gas pedal and the GTA couldn't pass me. I didn't even have my foot to the all the way to the floor. He had 2 people in the GTA, I had 3 people in my Lincoln. At about 100 mph he backed off because he wasn't getting anywhere and his lane narrowed up ahead. Lol.

[@landonbenford8369]

​@@Snake-ms7sjDo you still have the Town Car?? If not, you're gonna Kick yourself when you see how much they're going for.❤

[@Snake-ms7sj]

@@landonbenford8369 Naaah. Got rid of that years ago. Was getting like 9 miles per gallon and it wasn't in the best shape when I got it. I had to rebuild a lot of stuff just to get it road worthy. Even though it had bad compression in some cylinders I could still take some cars at the stop light. I think the 2 door Mark V is probably more desirable than the 4 door town car.

[@michaelhilber8284]

Very different than a japanese or german car. The french engineering shows in the suspension, handling and other aspects.

[@dirtyroofer825]

I had one just like this with tan interior

[@Moobumbe]

looks like my jeep cherokee seats lol. same headrest too

[@miljororforsprakpartiet290]

interior looks very citroen bx

[@btrdangerdan2010]

Nissan Sentra lookalike

[@Jac735]

Hahaha real talk I had a sentra that looked like this it was also an 87

[@Dankcatvacs]

nice

[@davinp]

Renault owns Nissan and since Renault bought Nissan, Nissan's quality and reliability has gone downhill

[@landonbenford8369]

The Whole industry's Quality Control has gone downhill. "We need profits. We'll fix it later."

[@davinp]

@@landonbenford8369 especially the American automakers - GM, Ford & Chrysler all they care about is making higher profits not building good quality cars

[@landonbenford8369]

@@davinp You mean Stellantis. Lee Iacocca's Chrysler died YEARS Ago!!😭😭😭

[@davinp]

@@landonbenford8369 yes.

[@it1988a]

Motor Trend car of the year in 1980. Thats when i cancelled my subscription.

[@ElectoneGuy]

Try 1983.

[@landonbenford8369]

I think Motor Trend's more fair & balanced than Consumer Reports.

[@kimani34]

That car is rare. I bet most Renault owners at the time didn't know that car was being sold. Never seen one.

[@Jac735]

Yea same here I saw mainly 2 doors