As the partnership between American Motors and Renault grew, Renault saw advantages in building cars for the U.S. market in North America due to the weak dollar of the early ’80s. Fortunately, AMC had a plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, available.
Renault had designed the two-door 9 sedan and 11 three-door hatchback for Europe, and these were redeveloped for American production as the Renault Alliance and Encore. These proved popular, inexpensive cars for a recovering American economy, and the Alliance won Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award in 1983. AMC/Renault even sponsored entry-level, single-marque road racing series with the Alliance and Encore.
The compact car market moved swiftly, and what was popular in the early ’80s was quickly outdated. In a last-gasp effort to spur interest, AMC and Renault developed the Alliance GTA as a sportier version of the milquetoast Alliance. Sporting fiberglass ground effect bodywork, monochrome trim, alloy wheels, and a hotter 95 horsepower engine, the GTA was offered as a two-door sedan and a convertible for the 1987 model year.
Reviewers enjoyed the extra performance and street styling of the Alliance GTA. However, as Chrysler took ownership of AMC in 1987, the Renault brand was superfluous, and the Alliance/Encore factory in Kenosha was soon shut down.
[Image by Lebubu93 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and Scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]
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