Alpine A110
Alpine A 110
Rally driver Jean Redele fitted a Renault 4 CV platform with a glass fibre body in 1955, and called the resulting sports car the Alpine 106. He proved the car`s potential by winning his class in the Mille Miglia with one, and over the next five year build around 150 examples. The prettier A 108 was introduced in 1958 and the shape of the A198 coupe` was refined for the most significant Alpine of all, the A110 in 1962.
Like theA 108, the new car was built on a steel backbone chassis with a rear-mounted engine and the body was glassfibre. But where the A 108 used the 747cc Renualt 4CV engine or later the 845cc Dauphine unit-delivering up to 68 bhp in tuned form-the A110 used engines from the Renault R8 and later the Renault 16. Ultimately ut had 138 bhp at its disposal and coupled with the Alpine`s feather weight ( just 1500 lb/680 kg) that meant shattering performance.
the rearward weight bias created by rear-mounted engine also gave the Alpine excellent traction, which made it a Superb car for the loose -surface special stage events which were now taking over the navigational tests in the sport of rallying. In fully developed form it became a regular international rally winner, wrapping up the inaugural world championship for the makes in 1973.
Remarkably, despite the A110`s clear bias towards competition- it was noisy,and tricky to handle for a road car- more than 8000 were built in a 14 year production run which continued till 1977. Redele was always more interested in competition machinery so although a four-seater A 110 GT4 was developed in 1963 it was not pursued beyond 1965 and just 112 were built.
Pros:
Very effective rally car,Light weight and excellent traction,workmanlike cockpit reflected bias towards competition. Sold between 1962 and 1977.
Keywords : Vintage cars, Classic cars 1960, Alpine A 110