[Anonymous]

Renault Alpine A110B (Berlinette)

This 1976 Renault Alpine A110B was rallied extensively in the United Kingdom and France. While carrying a 1600cc engine at first, the car’s power plant now displaces 1800cc, and enjoys a lightened flywheel, high performance camshaft, high compression pistons, Weber DCOE 45 mm carburetors, and Quaife limited slip differential. These modifications result in 175 horsepower propelling a car weighing only 1,500 pounds.

This example of the Alpine Renault A110B was manufactured in France at the Dieppe facility. Alpine had licensed manufacturing of the car to companies in Mexico, Bulgaria, Spain and Brazil. Those manufactured in France are most sought after.

There are only a handful of Alpines to be found in the United States. They are well recognized and appreciated in Europe, having won the World Rallye Championship, the Monte Carlo Rallye, and their class at Le Mans during the 1970 through 1973 season.

Jean Redele, the founder of Alpine, was originally a Dieppe garage proprietor who began to achieve considerable competition success in one of the few French cars produced just after World War 2. The proper pronunciation is closer to “al-peen”.

Using Renault 4CVs, he gained class wins in a number of major events, including the Mille Miglia 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 Mans and Sebring with some success in the early 50s.

Encouraged by the development of these cars and consequent customer demand, he founded the Societe Anonyme des Automobiles Alpine in 1954. The firm was named Alpine after his Coupe des Alpes successes but in those days, La Manche was very wide! Alpine did not realise that over in England the previous year, Sunbeam had introduced a sports coupe derived from the Sunbeam Talbot and called the Sunbeam Alpine. 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 A106. It used the platform chassis of the original Renault4CV. 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

-Jim S.

Thanks to Jim for sending us this information! -Caleb

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Nice Choice! One of my favorites.

[Anonymous]

sideache;560 wrote:

Nice Choice! One of my favorites.

i really don’t think that my pictures do it justice. the car looked outstanding

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