In the late 1970s, American Motors Corporation was hanging onto a slender 1.8% share of the US auto market. While the US government bailed out financially fraught Chrysler, AMC was deemed dispensable. Buyers for a lagging automaker were scarce, but Renault stepped up with enough cash to take a majority share in AMC. Soon, AMC was marketing the Le Car, and retooling its Kenosha plant to produce a French car on US soil – only the second foreign automaker in the world to perform that feat (anyone know the first foreign car built in the US, what year, and at what plant?) The new car was called the Renault Alliance; it was an Americanized version of the subcompact, front-wheel-drive Renault 9. The interior was designed by Dick Teague, assuring at least a modicum of luxury to satisfy American buyers. Launched in 1983 to challenge the likes of the Chevette, the Rabbit, and the Escort, the Renault Alliance garnered more kudos from the automotive press than most of the rest. It was even named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 1983. Today’s example is located in Toledo, Ohio, and it’s a rare convertible DL. Thanks go to Ted for finding this uncommon Franco-American.
When the Alliance was introduced, the only engine available was the Le Car 1.4-liter four-cylinder with about 58 hp. But in 1985, the 1.7-liter fuel-injected four was optional on most models, and standard for this convertible DL. Output rose to 78 hp, good enough to clock a 14.6-second zero to sixty time. This car has a five-speed manual transaxle – considered far better than the automatic. The seller lists several mechanical renovations including a new timing belt and idlers (a broken belt can wreck this engine), shift bushings, and maintenance items. No photo of the engine bay is provided, but a couple of underside shots are included. I think I see rust here; I’d want a closer look. The seller does mention a rust hole in one fender; the sale includes an NOS fender. Fully independent front suspension and a torsion bar/trailing arm arrangement in the rear gave a soft ride – this isn’t an autocross prospect, but the road ride drew rave reviews. The seller says the car runs and drives well.
The driver’s seat upholstery is torn – unfortunately not along a seam – and the plastic dash appears faded. The power top works, though the rear window zipper is “fiddly”. The rear seats may look cramped, but thanks to single, curved seat tracks for each front seat, rear passengers had more room to stretch than this photo implies. This car has air conditioning which has been recharged with R12. Renault introduced an infrared sensor remote lock system – one of the first in the market. Also on board is the Systems Sentry fluid-monitoring module. The speedometer works, but the remaining gauges have issues. A spare gauge cluster comes with the sale.
The paint is a respray turned dull across all horizontal surfaces. These alloy wheels do not come with the car; the buyer will receive 13″ steel wheels. This ’85 Renault Alliance is listed here on facebook Marketplace, with an asking price of $3000. It’s been for sale for two months, so the seller might be willing to negotiate. If you have no appetite for refurbishing an Alliance, a better example can be found, but you’ll pay twice as much.
The one on the “Bring a Trailer” website is a beauty. Well worth the sell price. This one, not so much. These would be fun little summer cars, but I wonder how parts availability is.
Parts availability? Pretty much nonexistent as far as I know. These turned out to be awful cars from a reliability and longevity standpoint and disappeared from the road very quickly.
To get an inside look at what went on during the Renault takeover and AMC’s last years check out the book “The Last American CEO” by Jason Vines and Joe Cappy.
But how far is “as far as I know”? As for “awful cars”, in whose opinion? Look at what was available at that time from GM, Ford, and Chrysler. It’s no wonder it got MT’s Car of the Year.
@JDC It goes pretty far. I kept up with automotive news regularly at the time and it quickly became evident by virtually all accounts that not only did the Alliance not have sufficient power for American conditions (especially with the base 1.4L engine, automatic trans, and A/C), the cars started falling apart rapidly and parts could be hard to obtain even when the cars were current. I had one as a rental back in the day and can personally attest to the lack of power. Merging onto a busy freeway was a white-knuckle affair.
Particularly amusing was a heater core that turned out to be prone to bursting and spewing hot water and steam over the front occupants. Chrysler was stuck with recalling them all to install redesigned heater cores. (Some say they even had to track down Alliances in the junkyard to perform the recall!)
Today you’re more likely to see Hornets and Gremlins and even older Ramblers than you are an Alliance both on the road and at car shows despite the Alliance being much newer and selling in large numbers.
I never understood the irony of a product named “Franco-American” that featured primarily Italian foods. Oh, the Alliance, you know, I bellyached about folks not recognizing the Packardbakers as true Packards, the same could be said for the poor Alliance. I can say with all truth, the Alliance hit us AMC fans below the belt. Only true AMC fans bought the Alliance, a tough sell from the Asians. It was such an about face we probably never hoped would happen, but it did. The Alliance was an okay car, I never thought a car with an “oil level” gauge had much faith in their products. The car itself was okay, I like French cars, but to us that bled RW&B, it was a mockery to the brand that we never recovered from. I heard of disgruntled workers in Kenosha that would sabotage the cars, and considering the mindset then, it could have actually happened. A shame, such a profound car maker, reduced to this, as if to say, “what did you expect from a failing car maker”? It was an unfair end to a great automaker.
Enough of these have been exported to France that Renault can be said to have really missed an opportunity by not importing these from Kenosha and selling them in Europe as R9 convertibles when they were new.
Michelle, Is the answer to your question the Volkswagen Rabbit built at the Westmoreland PA plant starting in 1978?
to answer the question…
The American Austin Car Company Inc was founded in 1929 to produce the Austin Seven, cars licensed from the British Austin Motor Company from 1930 through 1934
apologies to packard, but this is the car that you should “ask the man who owns one.” worst car i’ve ever owned. for some strange reason i still like it. let’s see, during dealer visit the service manager noticed my shifter knob was cracked, so he replaced it. he put it on by hitting it with the palm of his hand, and pushed the shifter through the floor. after that it was almost impossible to get it into 5th if i could get it in reverse, or into reverse if i could get it into 5th. they adjusted and adjusted. then (after warranty) the transmission seals went bad and had to be replaced, meaning the transmission had to be pulled and disassembled. then it overheated, (strange two-radiator cap system, one on actual radiator. difficult to get air out of system) and i had to get a used replacement engine. then the replacement engine overheated and i had it towed back to the bank and left the key in the ignition,
“anyone know the first foreign car built in the US, what year, and at what plant?”
Rolls-Royce, 1921, Springfield, MA.
Rolls Royce in Springfield Mass in 1921 omg i swear ccfisher hadn’t hit enter when I was typing I swear
I’m always amazed at how different the opinions are with these Alliance. I raced in the Renault Cup 1983, 84 & 85. Nobody who raced these had much of any complaint, especially considering how they were treated. In fact I found one back in 2000 that while it raced as n Renault Cup car from 1983 to 1985, it spent another 10 years racing in SCCA’s ITC category. Point is the car showed 38,000 miles on the speedo yet had never been registered, titled or driven on the street. 38,000 race miles.
Just ask any mechanic who worked on these.
Sorry ney sayers, I am owner a twin of this car only in white.
It is a great fun car especially in the warm weather of Ca.
I had to learn the hard way that this is an “inference engine” mean when the timing belt breaks, all hell breaks loose.
Mine did, so I bought another covert. for the engine. I now change the timing belt every 30K miles or 3 years.
A super fun nice car.