Alpine may not sound familiar to most Americans but, to a few automotive enthusiasts, it’s a craft-built, lightweight, Renault-powered sports car with impeccable handling. For fans of Alpine, a new video series called “Alpine, 70 years” is ready for your enjoyment.
Alpine was the brainchild of Jean Rédélé, a gentleman who ran both a garage and a Renault 4CV in competition. Through his experience, he modified his race car and experimented with aluminum bodies. Then, 70 years ago, he formed Automobiles Alpine and started developing a production car called the A106. This coupe, utilizing a fiberglass body designed by Giovanni Michelotti, was based on the rear-engined 4CV and featured a central tubular backbone that would become the trademark for the Alpine brand. Three years later, Alpine modified the design and presented the Dauphine-based A108 in 1958.
This model spawned the Renault R8-based A110 in 1963, which was produced through 1977. However, most familiar to Americans (especially those who collected diecasts as a kid) was the A310. Introduced in 1971, the A310 would be facelifted into the GTA in the 1980s and, later, the A610 before production ending in 1995.
For 2018, Renault revived the Alpine, officially known as Alpine A110. This mid-engined coupe features a Nissan 1.8-liter turbo-four backed by a Getrag seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Globally, as many as 4,835 have been built in a year, reflecting the strength of the Alpine brand in the minds of European enthusiasts.
The first episode of this video series is called “The Alpine Legend” and sheds light on the brand’s origins and the hurdles it approaches in the face of electrification. To view this episode, click here.
