Renault Alliance
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The Renault Alliance was a compact automobile built and marketed in North America by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) through its partnership with its majority owner Renault between 1982 and 1987, when the Chrysler Corporation acquired AMC. The Alliance was based upon the Renault 9/11, but received its exterior styling courtesy of AMC's Richard Teague. The Alliance was joined in the 1984 model year by the Renault Encore, which shared many of its components with the Alliance.
The Alliance was a 2- or 4-door sedan, launched in June 1982 as a 1983 model. Although it was branded as a Renault, the car bore AMC's logo on rear window decals. The Alliance appeared on Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 1983 and was the 1983 Motor Trend Car of the Year. In addition to the sedan, the Alliance was offered as a a convertible between 1985 and 1987. In 1987, the Encore, an Alliance-based hatchback, was renamed the Alliance hatchback.
For the final 1987 model year, a limited production, high performance model version of the Alliance was marketed as the Renault GTA. It came in 2-door sedan or convertible form and had a 95 HP 2.0 L engine.
The Alliance afforded AMC the opportunity to field a new compact car without the expense of its design and tooling, still the alliance with Renault exacted a heavy price on AMC, which was required to shed its profitable AM General line of commercial and military vehicles because of Renault's interest in the firm.
The Alliance, however, used Renault's archaic C-type OHV engines in 1.4 L or 1.7 L displacements, and a basic suspension design that resulted in a somewhat ordinary driving experience.
While initial sales were promising, AMC's declining profit picture, combined with Renault's concerns with declining sales, hurt the Alliance's chances in the American market. Alliance production at the Kenosha plant ended in June 1987, shortly after Chrysler's buyout of AMC was announced.
Although officially a 1988 Alliance model was never built, it was planned for the lineup and some units are rumored to exist.[1]
The Alliance provided many donor parts (engine and suspension) for the Sports Renault racecar, a single make series created by the SCCA. Most cars still exist, although the majority have been converted to use a Ford engine and are now known as Spec Racer Fords, still running in the SCCA club racing program.
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| Renault: | LeCar | Alliance | Encore | Fuego | Medallion | Premier |
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