Alpine was a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
manufacturer of racing and
sports carThe term sports car has been defined as "an open, low-built, fast motor car." The term describes a class of automobile with two seats, two doors, precise handling, brisk acceleration, and sharp braking — trading practical considerations such as passenger space, comfort, and cargo capacity...
s that used rear mounted
RenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. Due to its alliance with Nissan, it is currently the world's fourth largest automaker. Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Renault owns the Romanian automaker Automobile Dacia and the Korean automaker Renault...
engines.
Jean RédéléJean Rédélé , was an automotive pioneer, pilot and founder of the French automotive brand Alpine....
, the founder of Alpine, was originally a
DieppeDieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
garage proprietor, who began to achieve considerable competition success in one of the few French cars produced just after World War 2.
Early days
Using
RenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. Due to its alliance with Nissan, it is currently the world's fourth largest automaker. Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Renault owns the Romanian automaker Automobile Dacia and the Korean automaker Renault...
4CVs, Rédélé gained class wins in a number of major events, including the
Mille MigliaThe Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
and Coupe des Alpes. As his experience with the little 4CV built up, he incorporated many modifications, including for example, special 5 speed gear boxes replacing the original 3 speed unit. To provide a lighter car he built a number of special versions with lightweight aluminium bodies: he drove in these at
Le MansThe 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France...
and
SebringThe 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida.- History :...
with some success in the early 1950s.
Encouraged by the development of these cars and consequent customer demand, he founded the Société Anonyme des Automobiles Alpine in 1954. The firm was named
Alpine after his Coupe des Alpes successes. He did not realise that over in England the previous year,
Sunbeam Car CompanySunbeam was a marque registered by John Marston Co. Ltd of Wolverhampton, England, in 1888. The company first made bicycles, then motorcycles and cars from the late 19th century to circa 1936, and applied the marque to all three forms of transportation. The company also manufactured 647 aircraft...
had introduced a sports coupe derived from the Sunbeam Talbot and called the
Sunbeam AlpineThe Sunbeam Alpine is a sporty two seat open car or coupé from Rootes Group's Sunbeam car marque.The original was launched in 1953 as the first vehicle to bear the Sunbeam name alone since the 1920 merger of Sunbeam, Talbot, and Darracq....
. This naming problem was to cause problems for Alpine throughout its history.
In 1955, he worked with the Chappe brothers to be amongst the pioneers of auto glass fibre construction and produced a small coupe, based on 4CV mechanicals and called the Alpine A106. It used the platform chassis of the original
Renault 4CVThe Renault 4CV is an automobile produced by the French manufacturer Renault from August 1947 to July 1961. An economical "people's car" inspired by the Volkswagen Beetle, it was the first French car to sell over a million units....
. The A106 achieved a number of successes through the 1950s and was joined by a low and stylish cabriolet. Styling for this car was contracted to the Italian designer Michelotti. Under the glassfibre body was a very stiff chassis based on a central tubular backbone which was to be the hallmark of all Alpines built. Alpine then took the Michelotti cabriolet design and developed a 2+2 closed coupe (or 'berlinette') body for it: this became the A108, built between 1958 and 1963.
1960s
By now the car's mechanicals were beginning to show their age. Alpine were already working closely with Renault and when the Renault R8 saloon was introduced in 1962, Alpine redeveloped their chassis and made a number of minor body changes to allow the use of R8 mechanicals.
This new car was the
A110 Berlinette Tour de FranceThe Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
, named after a successful run with the Alpine A108 in the 1962 event. Starting with a 956 cc engine of , the same chassis and body developed with relatively minor changes over the years to the stage where, by 1974, the little car was handling 1800 cc engines developing +. With a competition weight for the car of around , the performance was excellent.
Alpine achieved increasing success in rallying, and by 1968 had been allocated the whole Renault competition budget. The close collaboration allowed Alpines to be sold and maintained in France by normal Renault dealerships. Real top level success started in 1968 with outright wins in the Coupe des Alpes and other international events. By this time the competition cars were fitted with 1440 cc engines derived from the Renault R8
GordiniGordini was a French sports car manufacturer. The firm was founded by Amédée Gordini nicknamed "Le Sorcier" .At the beginning Gordini had close ties with Simca whose founder Henri Pigozzi shared Italian origins with Amédée Gordini....
. Competition successes became numerous, helped since Alpine were the first company fully to exploit the competition parts homologation rules.
1970s
In 1971 Alpine achieved a 1-2-3 finish in the
Monte Carlo rallyThe Monte Carlo Rally is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco who also organizes the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique...
, using cars with engines derived from the Renault R16. In 1973, they repeated the 1-2-3 Monte Carlo result and went on to
win the
World Rally ChampionshipThe World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver, co-driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system...
outright, beating
PorschePorsche SE is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury high performance automobiles, which is majority-owned by the Piëch and Porsche families. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG , often shortened to Porsche AG, is responsible and manufacturer of the Porsche automobile line...
,
LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
and
FordThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
. During all of this time, production of the
Alpine A110The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
increased and manufacturing deals were struck for A110s and A108s with factories in a number of other countries including Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Bulgaria.
1973 brought the international petrol crisis, which had profound effects on many specialist car manufacturers worldwide. From a total Alpine production of 1421 in 1972, the numbers of cars sold dropped to 957 in 1974 and the company was bailed out via a takeover by Renault. Alpine's problems had been compounded by the need for them to develop a replacement for the
A110A110 see* A110 road , a road in London connecting Woodford and Barnet* A110 motorway , a road connecting connecting Chartres and Sorigny* A110 road , a road in Perak connecting Gopeng and Kota Baharu Mines* Alpine A110, a car...
and launch the car just when European petrol prices leapt through the roof.
Through the 1970s Alpine continued to campaign the A110, and later the
Alpine A310The Alpine A310 was a sports car built by French manufacturer Alpine, from 1971 to 1984.Dieppe-based Alpine, once an independent company specialising in faster Renaults, later a Renault subsidiary, established a fine competition history with the Alpine A110 winning the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally and...
replacement car. However, to compete with Alpine's success, other manufacturers developed increasingly special cars, notably the
Lancia StratosThe Lancia Stratos HF, widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is an automobile made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity.-History:...
which was based closely on the A110's size and rear engined concept, though incorporating a Ferrari engine. Alpine's own cars, still based on the 1962 design and using a surprising number of production parts, became increasingly uncompetitive. In 1974 Alpine built a series of factory racing Renault 17 Gordinis (one driven by
Jean-Luc ThérierJean-Luc Thérier is a French former rally driver. He was the highest scoring driver in the inaugural World Rally Championship in 1973 and the only one to win three events...
) that won the Press on Regardless World Rally Championship round in
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, USA.
In fact, having achieved the rally championship, and with Renault money now fully behind them, Alpine had set their sights on a new target. The next aim was to win at Le Mans. Renault had also taken over the Gordini tuning firm and merged the two to form
Renault SportRenault Sport Technologies is the France motorsport division of Renault. Renault Sport was responsible for Renault's sports car racing entries during the 1970s, including their win at the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans race with the Renault Alpine A442.Actual Renault's Formula One team, Renault F1 in...
. A number of increasingly successful sports racing cars appeared, culminating in the 1978 Le Mans win with the
Renault Alpine A442The Renault Alpine A442 is a sports prototype racing car, designed and built by Alpine, but funded and powered by Alpine's owners Renault, specifically to contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Variants were entered for the event in 1976, 1977 and 1978. An A442B finally won the race on the third...
B. This was fitted with a turbo-charged engine; Alpine had been the first company to run in and win an international rally with a turbo car as far back as 1972 when
Jean-Luc ThérierJean-Luc Thérier is a French former rally driver. He was the highest scoring driver in the inaugural World Rally Championship in 1973 and the only one to win three events...
took a specially modified A110 to victory on the Critérium des Cévennes.
1980s
Alpine Renault continued to develop their range of models all through the 1980s. The A310 was the next modern interpretation of the A110. The Alpine A310 was a sports car with a rear-mounted engine and was initially powered by a four cylinder 1.6 L sourced Renault 17 TS/Gordini engine. In 1976 the A310 was restyled by Robert Opron and fitted with the more powerful and newly-developed V6 PRV engine. The 2.6 L motor was modified by Alpine with a four-speed manual gearbox. Later they would use a Five-speed manual gearbox and with the group 4 model get a higher tune with more cubic capacity and 3 twin barrel Weber carburetors.
After the A310 Alpine transformed into the new Alpine GTA range produced from plastic and polyester components, commencing with normally aspirated
PRVPRV may refer to:* Personnel Recovery Vehicle* Polycythaemia rubra vera, a blood disorder* Pressure relief valve* PRV engine, an automobile V6 engine developed by Peugeot Renault and Volvo* Swedish Patent and Registration Office...
V6 engines. In 1985 the V6 Turbo was introduced to complete the range. This car was faster and more powerful than the normally aspirated version. In 1986 polyester parts were cut for the first time by robot using a high pressure (3500 bar) water jet, in diameter at three times the speed of sound. In the same year the American specification V6 Turbo was developed.
In 1987 fitment of anti-pollution systems allowed the V6 Turbo to be distributed to Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. 1989 saw the launch of the limited edition GTA
Mille Miles to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Alpine. Production was limited to 100 cars, all fitted with ABS braking, polished wheels, special leather interior and paintwork. This version was not available in RHD.
1990s
1990 saw the launch of the special edition wide bodied GTA
Le Mans. The car wore polyester wheel arch extensions with a one piece front. Wheels were 3 piece BBS style produced by ACT, 8x16" front & 10x17" rear. Otherwise identical mechanically to the V6 Turbo, the engine was fitted with a catalytic converter and power was reduced to . This model was available in the UK and RHD versions carried a numbered plaque on the dashboard. The Le Mans is the most collectable and valuable GTA derivative, since only 325 were made (299 LHD and 26 RHD). These were available from Renault dealers in the UK and the country's motoring press are belatedly recognising the GTA series as the 'great unsung supercar of the 1980s'
The Alpine A610 was launched in 1991, it was re-styled inside and out but was still recognisable as a GTA derivative. The chassis structure was extensively reworked but the central box principal remained the same. The front was completely re-designed The interior was also greatly improved. Air-conditioning and power steering were fitted as standard. The total production run for A610s derivatives was 818 vehicles 67 RHD and 751 LHD. After production of the A610 ended, the Alpine factory in Dieppe produced the Renaultsport Spider and a new era was to begin.
The last Alpine, an A610, rolled off the Dieppe line late in 1994, Renault abandoning the Alpine name. This was always a problem in the UK market. Alpines could not be sold in the UK under their own name because Sunbeam owned the trade mark (because of the mid-50s Sunbeam Alpine Mk I). In the 1970s, for example Dieppe were building modified Renault R5s for the world wide market. The rest of the world knew them as R5 Alpines but in the UK they had to be renamed to R5 Gordini. Strangely enough with the numerous company takeovers that have occurred, it is another French company, PSA (Peugot/Talbot/Citroën) who now own the British
Alpine trademark.
The Alpine factory in Dieppe continues to expand; in the 1980s they built the special R5 Turbo cars, following the rear engined formula they have always used. They built all Clio Williams and RenaultSport Spiders. The factory proudly put its Alpine badges on the built early batches of the mid engined Clio series one Clio V6. The Clio Series 2 was also assembled there with more recent RenaultSport Clio 172 and RenaultSport Clio 182s.
Present
The Dieppe factory is known as the producer of RenaultSport models that are sold worldwide. This was originally the "Alpine" factory that Renault gained when they acquired the brand in 1973. Some of the Renault Sport models produced in Dieppe are currently the
Mégane Renault SportThe Mégane Renaultsport or Mégane RS is a series of hot hatch models based on Renault Mégane, designed and built by French automaker Renault since 2004.-Mégane II Renaultsport:It is based on the Renault Mégane II small family car....
,
Clio Renault SportThe Renault Clio Renault Sport or Clio RS is a hot hatch produced since 1999 by Renault Sport, the high-performance division of French automaker Renault...
and the new Mégane Renault Sport dCi is to be built on Renault’s Dieppe assembly line. All the RenaultSport track-, tarmac- and gravel-racing Meganes and Clios are also made in the Dieppe factory.
In October 2007, it has been reported that Renault’s marketing boss Patrick Blain has revealed that there are plans for several sports cars in Renault’s future lineup, but stressed that the first model won’t arrive until after 2010. Blain confirmed that Renault is unlikely to pick a new name for its future sports car and will probably go with Alpine to brand it. Blain described it as being a “radical sports car” and not just a sports version of a regular model.
The new Alpine sports car will likely have a version of the
Nissan 350ZThe Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Co, LTD. The 350Z is the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line, originally introduced in 1969 as the Datsun 240Z. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model...
's
FMThe Nissan FM platform is a modern FM layout automobile platform. The name is derived from the "front midships" location of the engine, referring to the engine's center of mass being located behind the front axle centerline, shifing weight to the middle of the car, leaving the front suspension...
platform.
The presence of sportier models in the Renault line-up would give the French automaker a better opportunity to capitalize on its Formula One prowess, having won two back-to-back world championships with Fernando Alonso, translating these efforts to its production cars is a moot point because Renault’s lineup is lacking in the sports car department. Management is hoping to change all that and is keen to start building sports cars again, as it has in the past, with the revival of the legendary Alpine label.
In France there is a large network of Alpine enthusiasts clubs. Clubs exist in many countries including the UK, USA, Australia, Japan.
In February 2009, Renault confirmed that plans to revive the Alpine brand have been canceled as a direct result of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis and recession.
Timeline
- 1922 - Jean Rédélé was born on May 17 1922 in Dieppe in French Normandy. His father Émile works for Renault as testing engineer thus Rédélé is raised within an environment which fascinates him from the beginning of his life.
- 1946 - Jean Rédélé finishes a trading school (HEC, one of the best at this time) and founded in Dieppe a company that he called "Société des Grands garages de Normandie" on December, 17th in premises that he hired to his father, in order to sell Renault cars. In parallel he prepares his Renault 4CV for local racing events (his first rallye was Dieppe Rallye in 1950) and later on he is successful at Rallye Monte Carlo.
- 1953 - Renault asks him to start preparation of five racing cars for the Mille Miglia. The cooperation is very successful: the cars achieve the first places in their category. Even the 1952 Alemano bodied Renault 4CV wins diverse rallies.
- 1954 - Jean Rédélé and his friend Louis Pons achieve a victory at the Coupe des Alpes with a tuned 4CV. As a dedication to this event he chooses the name "Société des Automobiles Alpine" for the new founded company to develop cars on his own. He starts with the Alpine A106 Mille Milles, which was the sensational new car at the Paris Salon in 1954. The designation A106 is derived from Renault's internal designation system.
- 1960 - The model A108 is presented under the name of Berlinette Tour de France at the Paris Auto salon. The A110 will be derived from this model.
- 1962 - Again in Paris the public sees for the first time the new model A110. In the same year Renault presented the R8. The most essential parts like suspension and brakes are to be found in the Alpine, too.
- 1965 - The A110 is equipped with the 1300 cc engine which is based on the Gordini engine.
- 1966 - The A108 production is stopped.
- 1969 - Alpine uses the engine of the Renault R16 to introduce a 1600 cc version of the A110.
- 1970 - Renault gets the majority of the Alpine company.
- 1971 - Alpine wins the International Rally Championship with A110. The A310 model is introduced at the Geneva car show.
- 1973 - Alpine and its A110 are World Rally Champion.
- 1974 - For the new models 1600 SX, SI and SC Alpine develops a new suspension concept which is introduced with the A310 model, the successor of the A110. Alpine built factory racing Renault 17 Gordinis, they win the Press on Regardless Rally - World Rally Championship Round in Michigan USA. The fact that the French government forbids all motorsport events has severe impact on Alpine's economical situation.
- 1975 - For the last time a works A110 rally car enters a competition event.
- 1977 - In July Alpine stops fabricating the A110. The last Berlinette is a green 1600 SX. Even the Spanish production site has to deliver parts to complete this car. All in all 7176 Berlinettes left the site at Dieppe. But there have been licence agreements with Bulgarian, Spanish and Mexican companies. The following years saw several successors of the Berlinette. But none of them reached neither its popularity nor its image. Guy Fréquelin in the Alpine A310-V6 "Calberson" wins the 1977 French rally championship.
- 1996 - Today - Renault decides the model A610 to be last Alpine ever built. The company's management is not convinced of being able to develop a model for such a small market segment in an economical way. The Alpine factory in Dieppe is used for assembling Renault Sport cars which keep the sporting heritage alive.
- 2007 - August 10 - Jean Rédélé dies at age 85.
- 2007 - October - Renault revives the classic Alpine brand, new models due after 2010 (since cancelled).
Street models
- A106
- A108
- A110
The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
- A310
The Alpine A310 was a sports car built by French manufacturer Alpine, from 1971 to 1984.Dieppe-based Alpine, once an independent company specialising in faster Renaults, later a Renault subsidiary, established a fine competition history with the Alpine A110 winning the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally and...
- GTA/A610
The Renault Alpine GTA is a coupe automobile produced by the Renault-owned French manufacturer Alpine between 1986 and 1991.It was the first car launched by Alpine under Renault ownership...
Racing models
- Alpine M63
- Alpine M64
- Alpine M65
- Alpine A210
- Alpine A220
- Alpine A364
- Alpine A440
- Alpine A441
- Alpine A442
- Alpine A443
Renaultsport models at Dieppe
Alpine is now the
Renaultsport Technologies factory in Dieppe.
RS Models
- Renault Spider
The Renault Sport Spider is a roadster produced by the French automaker Renault Sport between 1996 and 1999.-Project:...
- Renault Clio V6 Renault Sport
- Renault Clio Renault Sport
- Renault Mégane Renault Sport
- Renaultsport Clio 197
RS official websites
Australia
Renault Alpines were never imported into Australia, but as enthusiasts wanted more than just the normal local Renault offerings, Renault Alpine enthusiasts have privately imported the following models into Australia. Currently there are A110, A310, GTA-atmo-turbo-lemans, A610, Renault 5 Turbo and Renault Sport Spiders registered.
An example of an Alpine weekend was held in
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
with attendees from
South AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories....
,
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
,
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
and
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. There were 17 Alpines and 2 Renault 5 Turbos. The Alpine model breakdown was:
A110: 5 | A310 (4 cyl): 3 | A310 (6 cyl): 4 | GTA Turbo: 2| GTA atmo: 3
Brazil
The Renault Alpine 108 was produced in
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
from 1956 to 1963, under license by Willys-Overland do Brasil, branded "Willys Interlagos". It was the first Brazilian
sports carThe term sports car has been defined as "an open, low-built, fast motor car." The term describes a class of automobile with two seats, two doors, precise handling, brisk acceleration, and sharp braking — trading practical considerations such as passenger space, comfort, and cargo capacity...
.
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