1990 Renault Alpine GTA

“It’s clearly been a very well loved car at some point,” states vendor Luke Harding. “But it hadn’t done much in the last few years. We’ve got it back on the road and completed a gentle, general re-commissioning.”

That process included servicing, new tyres, fixing a couple of electrical gremlins and replacement of some corroded cooling pipes. “It overheated a few times and we traced it to where the pipes go into the block. I’ve since completed around 200-300 miles in the car, driving it just as you would drive one.”

And that of course, is in a spirited fashion.

With just 39k on the clock, it’s a nice low-mileage example. The included service booklet shows a comprehensive early service history until 28,484 miles on the 11/05/01, so it was well looked after. “As well as the service book, it has the original fold-out chart which is a nice thing to have.”

It has a current MOT test certificate, which runs until 08/10/21. It had one advisory: coolant leak. And that of course, has since been taken care of.

The glass-fibre body itself looks good with panels lining up smartly. The front end has one or two stone-chips and the paint is a touch dull here and there. However, the Red colour is a mischievous hue that shifts between deep red and almost bronze depending on the light.

“The exterior looks lovely from about 20 feet,” says Luke. “But the cosmetic condition does let it down a touch. Up close, you’ll see a bit of lacquer peel on the paintwork.” It’s most notable on the nearside wing mirror.

The Alpine badge on the bonnet is a touch chipped – call that patina – and there’s a small crack on the nearside rear light. Glasswork (and there’s a lot of it on a GTA) remains generally clear.

The alloy wheels are nice and clean, and wear fresh Toyo Proxes tyres.

The GTA has electric door releases and that’s one of the aforementioned electrical gremlins that were rectified, so both now open on demand. Condition of trim parts is important on any Alpine (it shares mechanical parts with other Renaults, but that’s not the case inside the cabin) and this car’s presents well.

Yes, there’s a touch of wear on the steering wheel (although it’s by no means excessive) and the leather could do with a feed, but overall everything is present and in decent nick.

Door cards are good, as are carpets and the headlining has been replaced. The seats are tres Gallic in design and the only real cabin niggle is a small hole in the bolster of the driver’s seat. A good trim shop should be able to carry out an effective repair before it worsens.

“Mechanically, it’s very good,” says Luke. “It stops, starts and drives absolutely lovely. By modern standards it’s not a fast or particularly powerful car. You have to drive it to keep it at speed and it’s all about the handling, rather than outright pace, but that does mean that you can push it hard and remain at legal speeds. And it does handle beautifully for a sports car.”

A quick look underneath shows a touch of rust on the front sub-frame but its recent MOT test didn’t list it as an advisory, which suggests that it’s of the surface variety. That said it’s probably worth the next owner having that tidied up before it progresses.

The engine bay is a touch dusty and grubby, with some faded plastics, so a concours fiend could utilise some serious elbow grease and product to sharpen things up in there.

A large number of expired MOT test certificates can be found in the Alpine’s history file, as well as a number of relatively recent invoices for work carried out. These include: a reconditioned brake calliper (£137.32, October 2017) and another in May of that year (£111.40). There are others for sundry items and consumables.

A Renault Alpine Owners’ Club booklet is included, as is a Neiman alarm booklet (in French), as is the original service booklet. The latter shows that the car was originally a company car for Renault UK Limited.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a good standard.

The low mileage would suggest that after its stint as a Renault UK company car the Alpine became a weekend toy. It hasn’t seen much action in recent years (which has helped keep that mileage down) but has been re-commissioned and now mechanically sorted, it’s once again ready for action.

Alongside sorted mechanicals, this Alpine’s biggest selling point is its low mileage. Yes, cosmetically there is room for improvement, but it’s a car that the next owner can happily use straight away and not worry too much about. The decision can then be made on whether to spiff it up with some shiny new paint.

As such, we think it’ll sell for somewhere in the region of £7,000 to £11,000. At the lower end that’s bargain territory, whilst even towards the upper estimate it surely offers good value for money and a decidedly quirky French ownership proposition.

V6 shenanigans await its next owner.

Inspection is always encouraged and this particular car is located here in Upminster, Essex; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.