1991 Alpine Renault Alpine GTA
Browse our directory of 1991 Alpine Renault Alpine GTA vehicles. Access instant MOT history reports, tax status, and reliability insights for any registration listed below.
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Common Problems & Reliability
The 1991 Alpine Renault Alpine GTA has 3 known issues. 3 of these are classified as serious faults that could be expensive to repair.
Steel Backbone Chassis and Rear Suspension Turret Corrosion
SeriousAlthough the Alpine GTA features lightweight polyester and glassfibre composite exterior panels that do not rust, it is built over a tubular steel backbone chassis with structural outriggers. Trapped road salt and moisture beneath the bonded composite body cause severe structural corrosion, particularly around the rear suspension turrets, chassis outriggers, sills, and front bumper mountings. Because the body is permanently bonded over the metalwork, extensive rot can progress unseen until suspension alignment shifts or structural failure occurs at MOT inspection.
Symptoms: MOT failure for structural rust within 30cm of suspension attachment points, Flaking, delamination, and corrosion perforation along steel chassis outriggers and sills...
Est. repair cost: £1,500–£8,000
Radiator Cooling Cowl Missing and Backbone Coolant Pipe Deterioration
SeriousThe Alpine GTA relies on a front-mounted radiator fed by an essential plastic cooling scoop beneath the aerodynamic nose cone. On many surviving examples, this cowl was discarded, damaged, or omitted during maintenance, severely restricting airflow to the radiator. Furthermore, the cooling pipes running through the central chassis backbone rust at their entry and exit points, while mid-mounted radiator unions cause lower-core silting. These cooling deficiencies trigger rapid coolant temperature spikes in traffic and risk cylinder head warpage.
Symptoms: Rapid coolant temperature rise in urban traffic or during prolonged hill climbs, Coolant loss and crusty corrosion deposits where coolant pipes enter the chassis backbone...
Est. repair cost: £350–£1,800
PRV V6 Cylinder Head Gasket Failure and Wet Liner Subsidence
SeriousThe all-alloy PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 engine utilised across the GTA range features wet cylinder liners seated on figure-of-eight base shims. Inadequate antifreeze renewal or thermal overheating causes the cylinder liners to subside or move relative to the engine block deck, compromising the cylinder head gasket seal. Once breached, combustion gasses pressurise the cooling circuit, producing emulsified oil in the crankcase, chronic overheating, and potentially terminal block distortion if driven while breached.
Symptoms: Coolant header tank bubbling and pressurising under acceleration, Emulsified milky oil sludge present underneath oil filler cap and on dipstick...
Est. repair cost: £1,200–£3,000
Buying Tips for the 1991 Alpine Renault Alpine GTA
- Put the car on a hydraulic lift to examine the steel backbone chassis, rear suspension turrets, and sills for structural rot hidden under composite panels.
- Verify that the plastic radiator cooling cowl beneath the front nose is intact and securely fitted to avoid catastrophic PRV V6 overheating.
- On carburetted 2.85-litre V6 GT models, inspect the intricate vacuum piping on the twin Solex carburettors for leaks, or verify a Holley or Weber conversion.
- Check the five-speed Renault UN1 transaxle service history for proof of 12,000-mile gear oil changes to prevent premature synchromesh wear.
- Test the electronic instrument cluster and digital trip computer thoroughly, as speedometer drive failures and optimistic fuel readouts are prevalent.
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