competed with Chrysler's domestic and imported models such as the Dodge Omni, Shadow and Colt, as well as similar versions sold by Plymouth. With AMC's acquisition, Chrysler saw itself "saddled with a largely unsuccessful assortment of cars" including imports from Renault. Moreover, the Alliance line of passenger automobiles did not fit in Chrysler's existing product mix. The final year saw about 35,000 Alliances sold in 1987. GTA The Renault GTA was a performance version of the Alliance for the 1987 model year. It was manufactured during 1986 and early 1987 as a limited production, specialty model. It was described as "dandy little sports car" and a "pocket rocket" defined as a low-priced "car based on high production economy but with emphasis placed on appearance, performance and handling." It replicated what Volkswagen had done when the Rabbit was upgraded into the GTI. The GTA was available in 2-door sedan or convertible versions, with a single powerplant: a 2.0 L fuel-injected 4-cylinder engine. At 4900 rpm with premium U.S. gasoline, this engine developed . Driving performance of the vehicle included a 10.2 second mark for 0 to 60 mph and a .89 g-force cornering rating in road tests conducted by Car and Driver magazine. The GTA used the same uni-body as the two-door Alliances, but was distinctive to the other models. It was available only in silver, white, red, or black monochrome body paint with special color-keyed "ground effects" bodyside cladding styled by Zender of West Germany, one of Europe's leading after-market designers. It also featured 15-inch aluminum alloy sport wheels with low-profile Michelin Sport XGT 195-VR50 series tires, upgraded suspension with thicker sway bars, vented front disc brakes, larger exhaust pipe, optional driving lights, custom body moldings, a small spoiler on the rear trunk, red inlaid shift knob, close ratio gears on the manual transmission, stiffer engine mounts, larger brake booster, and special bolstered "racing" seats unique to the model. An automatic transmission was not available. Road test of the GTA described it to be quite comfortable with responsive handling that "was particularly impressive on tortuous back roads. It just hung in there like a sports car under the most trying conditions ... Hard acceleration will usually result in spinning wheels and a good deal of torque steer." The GTA served as "last-ditch" sales boosters for the economical Alliance line. However, the models were discontinued when Chrysler bought AMC and Renault