Photo: Renault
Most car guys in the U.S. are probably as familiar with Alpine sports cars as they are with etiquette concerning how the afternoon tea is served in Britain.
Not to be confused with “high tea,” which is what the British house servants would drink after 6:00 pm, afternoon tea most definitely doesn't involve cupcakes and should not be served with your pinky extended, like you're trying to subtly point out something in the distance.
Getting back to Alpine, and later Renault-Alpine, you should probably know that, in short, the carmaker was the very French equivalent of early Porsche back in the day. Rear-wheel-drive, rear-engined and very light sports cars based in part on the underpinnings of humble Renaults, just like the Porsche 356 was partly based on the original Volkswagen Beetle.
Unlike Porsche, though, Alpine never got the chance to evolve to the point of conquering the hearts of fans on more than one continent, and that is a shame, really.
Until it got bought by Renault back in 1973, a fact that pretty much saved the company from bankruptcy, Alpine had established itself as one of the winningest sports car makers in European rallying.
In a somewhat similar fashion with AMG, which started off as an independent Mercedes-Benz tuner and motorsport partner and is now an important part of the Daimler umbrella, the little French sports car maker that could also had much more humble beginnings.
At one point the youngest Renault dealer in the world, an amateur racing driver called Jean Rédélé established the Alpine brand in 1954. Back then, Jean was still in his thirties and had already achieved some considerable successes in various competitions using Renault 4CVs modified by himself in a small garage in Dieppe.
For those who know at least a little about Renault, and especially Renault Sport, Dieppe is the place where all those furious RS models are created, so history has found a way to give something back to Jean Rédélé, even though the company he churned out over half a century ago didn't manage to remain afloat until today.
Modifying Renault 4CVs with five-speed transmissions instead of three-speeds and changing parts from steel to aluminum was enough to make the cars competitive in racing, but Jean had other, much bigger plans in mind with the 4CV platform.
Together with the coachbuilding Chappe brothers, who by the mid-'50s had become experts in the fabrication of plastic bodies, Rédélé produced his very first sports car in 1955. Thanks to his successes in the Coupe des Alpes races with the 4CV, he named the new company Alpine.
Based partly on the Renault 4CV but with a fiberglass body penned by one of the most prolific designers of the 20th century, Giovanni Michelotti, the Alpine A106 weighed just a little over 500 kg (1,100 pounds) and more than established Alpine's credentials as a competitive sports car maker.
Two years later, the much sleeker A108 model was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, but it was its evolution, the Alpine A110, that took Europe rallying by storm. The rear-engine, RWD A110 Berlinette was built from 1961 until 1977, and it was during its life cycle that Alpine was bought by Renault and saved from bankruptcy.
It was from the merger of Gordini and Alpine that Renault Sport was created, even though the Alpine name remained in use as a sports car manufacturer until 1995 when the last A610/GTA model was built.
Long seen as a French homologue to a Lotus-like Porsche, Alpine was put into hibernation until the late 2000s, when Renault announced that it intended to resurrect the brand. Unfortunately, the global economic recession put those plans on hold until 2012, when Renault and Caterham, of all possible partners, announced a new joint-venture called Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham (SAAC) with the intention of building a new mid-engine sports car.
Not even two years later, the project got into another hiccup when Caterham sold its 50 percent stake in the venture back to Renault, announcing irreconcilable differences between each half of the project.
Thankfully, it seems that Renault carried forward by itself and has since unveiled a number of concepts that preview an Alpine sports car for the 21st century.
At the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the French will present a close-to-production concept whose exterior and interior has already been revealed. The production model should arrive at the beginning of 2017, powered by a mid-mounted 1.8-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder with approximately 250 hp.
Set to battle the Porsche 718 Cayman and the Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe, the upcoming Alpine AS1 or AS110 (both names have been trademarked by Renault) should signal the true return of a Gallic legend. If Renault plays its cards right, the new Alpine should also resurrect the long-dormant niche of somewhat affordable European sports cars.
Personally, I would also prefer an optional manual transmission to go with the (presumably) lilliputian weight and midship positioning of the engine, but if insider sources are correct, a double-clutch-only transmission will probably be the model's Achille's heel in the eyes of purists.
The good news for the U.S. is that the new Alpine could also spawn a Nissan or Infini version going forward, either of which could be imported into the land of the free as a slightly less expensive alternative to the Alfa 4C.
When I first saw the official photos of the Renault Alpine Vision concept, I was excited as a piglet in a muddy pit, only that I was in our office, which is considerably less muddy than you would expect. If my gut feelings are correct, we won't be disappointed by the new Alpine, on the contrary, but I've been wrong before and I should probably temper my expectations a bit. Still, am I the only one who's as giddy as a little schoolgirl about it, though? Please tell me I'm not!
Getting back to Alpine, and later Renault-Alpine, you should probably know that, in short, the carmaker was the very French equivalent of early Porsche back in the day. Rear-wheel-drive, rear-engined and very light sports cars based in part on the underpinnings of humble Renaults, just like the Porsche 356 was partly based on the original Volkswagen Beetle.
Unlike Porsche, though, Alpine never got the chance to evolve to the point of conquering the hearts of fans on more than one continent, and that is a shame, really.
Until it got bought by Renault back in 1973, a fact that pretty much saved the company from bankruptcy, Alpine had established itself as one of the winningest sports car makers in European rallying.
In a somewhat similar fashion with AMG, which started off as an independent Mercedes-Benz tuner and motorsport partner and is now an important part of the Daimler umbrella, the little French sports car maker that could also had much more humble beginnings.
At one point the youngest Renault dealer in the world, an amateur racing driver called Jean Rédélé established the Alpine brand in 1954. Back then, Jean was still in his thirties and had already achieved some considerable successes in various competitions using Renault 4CVs modified by himself in a small garage in Dieppe.
For those who know at least a little about Renault, and especially Renault Sport, Dieppe is the place where all those furious RS models are created, so history has found a way to give something back to Jean Rédélé, even though the company he churned out over half a century ago didn't manage to remain afloat until today.
Modifying Renault 4CVs with five-speed transmissions instead of three-speeds and changing parts from steel to aluminum was enough to make the cars competitive in racing, but Jean had other, much bigger plans in mind with the 4CV platform.
Together with the coachbuilding Chappe brothers, who by the mid-'50s had become experts in the fabrication of plastic bodies, Rédélé produced his very first sports car in 1955. Thanks to his successes in the Coupe des Alpes races with the 4CV, he named the new company Alpine.
Based partly on the Renault 4CV but with a fiberglass body penned by one of the most prolific designers of the 20th century, Giovanni Michelotti, the Alpine A106 weighed just a little over 500 kg (1,100 pounds) and more than established Alpine's credentials as a competitive sports car maker.
Two years later, the much sleeker A108 model was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, but it was its evolution, the Alpine A110, that took Europe rallying by storm. The rear-engine, RWD A110 Berlinette was built from 1961 until 1977, and it was during its life cycle that Alpine was bought by Renault and saved from bankruptcy.
It was from the merger of Gordini and Alpine that Renault Sport was created, even though the Alpine name remained in use as a sports car manufacturer until 1995 when the last A610/GTA model was built.
Long seen as a French homologue to a Lotus-like Porsche, Alpine was put into hibernation until the late 2000s, when Renault announced that it intended to resurrect the brand. Unfortunately, the global economic recession put those plans on hold until 2012, when Renault and Caterham, of all possible partners, announced a new joint-venture called Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham (SAAC) with the intention of building a new mid-engine sports car.
Not even two years later, the project got into another hiccup when Caterham sold its 50 percent stake in the venture back to Renault, announcing irreconcilable differences between each half of the project.
Thankfully, it seems that Renault carried forward by itself and has since unveiled a number of concepts that preview an Alpine sports car for the 21st century.
At the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the French will present a close-to-production concept whose exterior and interior has already been revealed. The production model should arrive at the beginning of 2017, powered by a mid-mounted 1.8-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder with approximately 250 hp.
Set to battle the Porsche 718 Cayman and the Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe, the upcoming Alpine AS1 or AS110 (both names have been trademarked by Renault) should signal the true return of a Gallic legend. If Renault plays its cards right, the new Alpine should also resurrect the long-dormant niche of somewhat affordable European sports cars.
Personally, I would also prefer an optional manual transmission to go with the (presumably) lilliputian weight and midship positioning of the engine, but if insider sources are correct, a double-clutch-only transmission will probably be the model's Achille's heel in the eyes of purists.
The good news for the U.S. is that the new Alpine could also spawn a Nissan or Infini version going forward, either of which could be imported into the land of the free as a slightly less expensive alternative to the Alfa 4C.
When I first saw the official photos of the Renault Alpine Vision concept, I was excited as a piglet in a muddy pit, only that I was in our office, which is considerably less muddy than you would expect. If my gut feelings are correct, we won't be disappointed by the new Alpine, on the contrary, but I've been wrong before and I should probably temper my expectations a bit. Still, am I the only one who's as giddy as a little schoolgirl about it, though? Please tell me I'm not!
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