Renault Alpine A110-50 is One Fast Birthday Gift

The AlpineAlpineFrance, 1955 > 199414 models
219 photos
brand is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012, and the worst kept secret in motoring is that RenaultRenaultFrance, 1898 > present189 models
6052 photos
17 videos
design boss Laurens van den Acker created a concept for a modern Alpine to celebrate the brand. Pictures and renderings have been leaking for the past week, but the real car is finally public after having been debuted in Monaco. 

The Alpine A110-50Renault Alpine A110-50France, 2012 > 20128 photos
2 videos
takes its styling direction from the Renault DezirRenault DeZirFrance, 2010 > present4 photos
concept car. Van den Acker reworked the front end to look more like the classic Alpine A110 including LED fog lights that evoke the original car. However, it keeps most of the Dezir's flowing bodywork. The A110-50 adds a rear window that makes the engine visible.

Aerodynamically, the A110-50 creates a large amount of downforce. It is equipped with a front splitter, rear diffuser and large Y-shaped rear wing. It also had to add more cooling not only for looks but because the A110-50 is significantly more powerful than the Dezir concept. The left air intake is for the engine, and the right is for gearbox cooling.

The car's actual chassis is identical to the Mégane TrophyRenault Mégane TrophyFrance, 2009 > present2 photos
race car with the same length and engine. Even the cockpit, cold air intake comes from the Mégane race car. It has been reworked slightly for the engine to sit lower in the chassis. For quick service while racing, the body has integral pneumatic jacks. 47.8% of the weight sits over the 21in front wheels.

“For everybody on the team, it was a dream come true to work on an Alpine concept car. We wanted to put this car firmly in the modern day, while resonating with its heritage,” said van den Acker.

The inside of the car is almost purely for racing with a full roll cage. The drivers seat has A110-50 embroidered on it and come with full racing harnesses. The dashboard is the modified unit from a Formula Renault 3.5 car.

Power for the car comes from 3.5l V6 with 400hp from the Mégane Trophy. The transmission is a six-speed sequential manual. The suspension is completely adjustable Sachs dampers, but the car does not have ABS or traction control. The brakes are 356mm in the front with six-piston calipers and 330mm in the rear with four-piston calipers.

The Alpine A110-50 is and will remain a concept. The car is a mixture of parts from the Dezir and Mégane race car, and Renault's product planning chief has said that the car will not go into production. It is nice to see that Renault is at least remembering its history and is willing to celebrate its old brands. 

Alpine was founded in 1955 by Jean Rédélé, and the first model, the A106, was based on the Renault 4CV chassis. Later models, in particular the A 110, achieved great success in rallies and by 1968 the company had virtually become Renault's motorsport-division. But as the oil crisis pushed down demand for thirsty sports cars, Alpine had to be resuced by Renault. The company never recovered entirely and in 1994 the Alpine badge ceased to exist.

Alpine A106

In 1954, Jean Rédélé and his friend Louis Pons achieve a victory at the Coupe des Alpes with a tuned 4CV. In memory of this event he chooses the name "Société des Automobiles Alpine" for his new founded company with which he develops cars on his own. He starts off with the Alpine A 106, which is a show stopper at the Paris Salon in 1954. The designation A 106 is derived from Renault's engine designation system.

Alpine A108

The A 108 is introduced in 1958 as convertible, in 1959 follows a version with fixed hardtop. It is based on the Renault Dauphine. The A 108 Berlinette Tour de France of 1960 is, with its low weight of just 530 kg, the ideal car for racing and rallies. It not only wins numerous trophies, it also provides the DNA for the legendary A 110 model that comes up next in the Alpine pedigree.

Alpine A110

In 1962, the Paris audience sees for the first time the new Alpine A 110. It uses many componets of the R8. With its extremely flat body design and lightweight construction, the A 110 becomes an icon on the rally tracks. With success, the cooperation between Alpine and Renault intensifies, Alpine models are now sold by Renault traders and the small manufacturer becomes the official Renault rally works team.

Alpine A310

But in the 1970s the tides turn. The Alpine A 310 model is introduced at the Geneva Show 1971. Alpine had spend its entire budget on the development of a replacement for the A 110, but the debut timing couldn’t be worse. With the petrol crisis hitting the car markets in 1973, the demand for sports cars is very low and Renault eventually steps in to take over its struggeling junior-partner.

Renault Alpine GT

As Renault aquires Alpine in 1973, its influence over the development of Alpine sports cars increases. The result is on display at the Geneva Motor Show in early 1985: the Alpine GT.
The V6 unit now provides 116 kW/158 hp and at 235 km/h, the Alpine GT is the fastest car from the Renault Group. For the first time, Renault is the official manufacturer of an Alpine sports car.
 

Renault 5 Alpine

The acquisition of Alpine also broadens Renault's possibilities when it comes to modifications of street cars. By the end of 1975 arrives the Renault 5 Alpine with 93 hp. Built from tuned Renault components, the tiny car accelerates in ten seconds to 100 km/h and with a weight of just 840 kg, its top speed stands at 173 km/h. Within just seven years, more than 70.000 the Renault 5 Alpines find their buyers.

Renault Alpine A 610

The last Alpine model produced is the A 610. When Renault decides to abandon the Alpine badge in 1994, 849 units of the model have been build. The A 610 was only available with a turbo engine that delivered 250hp and accelerated the car to a maximum 265 km/h. With the A 610 ends the Alpine-era at Renault. Today, the Alpine factory in Dieppe is used to produce Renault models.  

Renault Alpine A110-50

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Alpine A110 in 2012, Renault design boss Laurens van den Acker created a concept for a modern Alpine. The Alpine A110-50 takes its styling from the Renault Dezir concept car. Van den Acker reworked the front end to look more like the classic Alpine A110 including LED fog lights that evoke the original car.

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