Alpine 1955-1980 - serial winners in racing and rally sport
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Summary
There have been around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. One of these vanished brands is Alpine, founded in France in 1955. Jean Rédélé developed compact sports cars with a plastic body and was soon rewarded with racing successes at the Mille Miglia and later in rallying. The famous Alpine A110 achieved victories in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1971 and 1973, as well as in various other major rallies. In later years, Alpine became increasingly integrated into the Renault Group and was finally dropped in 1980.
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What the Porsche was to Germany, the Alpine was to France: both had rear engines and hatchbacks. The sleek little two-seater coupé was created on the initiative of rally driver Jean Rédélé on the mechanicals of the Renault 4 CV. Its plastic body, combined with a steel skeleton according to a patented recipe, came from the bodywork company Chappe. After successful participation in the Mille Miglia, the Alpine built in Dieppe was given the model name Mille Miles. A convertible version designed by Giovanni Michelotti was added in 1957, and in 1960 the coupé was given the streamlined shape that was to characterize it until 1977. Following the Renault rear-engined model development, the Alpine A 106 (with tuned 745 cc engine) grew via the A 108 (with Dauphine-Gordini engine) to the A 110 (from 1963 on the Renault 8; later with 1.1, 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 L displacement), and there was also a 2+2-seater coupé. The countless sporting successes culminated in triple victories at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1971 and 1973 as well as the European Rally Championship title.
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