What made it so popular? First of all, its Pinnifarina styled body was the prettiest among all hatchbacks. Distinctive C pillar, headlamps and front grilles, accompanied with the remarkable build quality, made it virtually irresistible. You can hardly find any flaws no matter from where you view it.

Chassis and engine were equally impressive. Despite of the lack of innovative technology, suspensions were
carefully tuned to deliver the best handling ever experienced. Steering was ultra-responsive and direct, making nowadays’ hot hatches feeling numb. It was so crisp that it would go wherever the driver pointed. It wouldn't forgive wrong input, and that’s exactly why good drivers liked it so much. Power came from a high-revving 1.6 four-pot with an astonishing 115 hp. This unit felt hesitant at low speed but loved to rev high. As a whole, 205GTi was a car that encourage the driver to drive hard. The faster it went, the more fun the driver gained.

There were 2 variants: one of them was 205 CTi, the cabriolet version of 205 GTi; another was 205 GTi 1.9, which was powered by a punchy 1.9-litre engine good for 130 hp and 119 lbft. The new engine made the 205 GTi a true rocket-pocket, beating all contemporary hot hatches in performance. However, the 1.6 GTi remained to be the one that thrill most.

Since mid-80s, all mainstream hot hatches has been becoming more civilised and fail-safe. That might be a welcomed trend to average drivers but simultaneously means less driving fun for demanding drivers. The only real entertainer besides the 205 was the first generation Renault Clio 16v and Clio Williams, but the 205 still come first. In short, the 205 deserves the title "King of GTi" without doubt.

Renault Alpine GTA was the first car launched after Alpine was purchased by the giant Renault. It appeared in
1986 as a replacement to the unsuccessful A310. In appearance, GTA followed the general shape of A310 but it was far more elegant in details. The angular body emphasised slightly-curved planes, further finished with
body-integrated bumpers and the uniquely-shaped triangular glassy C pillar, GTA looked aggressive yet simultaneously civilised - what a magic !

In mechanical aspect, Renault Alpine GTA was also unique. Steel backbone chassis supported a V6 at the rear end (it was the only rear-engined car besides Porsche 911), then enclosed with glass-fibre-reinforced plastic body panels. That made it a lot lighter than those steel-bodied opponents such as Porsche 944. Double wishbones suspensions at all corners meant it was not a compromised sports car. The most special was aerodynamics - 0.28 drag coefficient for the normally-aspirated version or 0.30 for the turbocharged version, the former was world record while the latter was at least the best of any sports cars. No wonder the GTA could be as quick as the 944 turbo which had 20 hp more.

Power came from the so-called PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6. The non-turbo version was exactly the same as that used by Renault 25 sedan - 2849 c.c., 160 hp and 166 lbft. It coped with the 1150 kg kerb weight with ease - 139mph, 0-60 mph took 7.5 sec. Another engine, perhaps most customers opted, was the 2458 c.c. turbocharged version of the PRV V6, still sohc 12 valves, but was capable of 200 hp and 214 lbft. Weighing at 1187 kg, the GTA V6 Turbo could top 149 mph and do 0-60 mph in merely 6.3 sec.

Anyway, the most special was the way it performed - despite of rear-bias weight distribution, GTA showed exceptional balance in cornering, at least in dry. Besides, like Porsche 911, the lighter front end helped it to obtain a communicative steering without corrupted by servo. Unlike 911 and many sports cars, GTA was rather easy to drive. Precise gearchange, smooth and little-lag engine, eager noise, exceptionally supple ride and a class-leading roomy cabin (it was famous of able to carry 4 adults for long journey) made it a perfect sports car for daily use.

Overall speaking, the GTA was fast, refined, more civilised than a Porsche but more sensational than Japanese sports cars. Despite being regarded as a great GT by many automotive insiders, it never achieved sales success. The reason is still a mystery, some said because its rival Porsche had an overwhelming advantage in brand image, some said due to the competition from the cheaper Japanese coupes, some said because people didn't like plastic body ... anyway, no matter what reasons, GTA's miserable fate made it more legendary, more romantic to me.

A610

Everything was strengthened or enlarged - wider tyres, wider tracks, the PRV engine enlarged to a full 3 litres with power raised to 250 hp, but the most significant improvement was torque - peak value 258 lbft occurred at as low as 2,900 rpm, moreover, 95% of which was available from 2,000 rpm ! Very flexible. Alpine A610 became a true 160 mph sports car.

It still displayed the character of the GTA - perfect balance between driving excitement and comforts. Many
Western journalists regarded it as better than the contemporary Nissan 300ZX, so which competitor could be
better ? I'm afraid no ... however, A610 still failed to catch the heart of customers. Continuous slow-sell led to
the production terminated in 1995. Then the Alpine factory was converted to produce Renault Sport Spider, a car which was developed by Renault itself and does not carry the "Alpine" name. The Alpine empire ended here.

Silver Ghost was designed for the richest. Barely its chassis cost about US$5000, roughly 10 times of a
Ford Model T.