Renault Alpine A310
| Alpine | |
|---|---|
 Alpine A310 (1971-1976)
|
|
| A310 | |
| Production period: | 1971-1985 |
| Class : | Sports car |
| Body versions : | Coupe |
| Engines: |
Petrol engines : 1.6–2.7 l (70–110 kW) |
| Length: | 4180-4250 mm |
| Width: | 1640-1650 mm |
| Height: | 1145-1150 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2270 mm |
| Empty weight : | 840-1040 kg |
| Previous model | Alpine A110 |
| successor | Alpine GTA |
The Alpine A310 (also: Alpine Renault A310 or Renault Alpine A310 ) is a sports car from the French automobile manufacturer Alpine , which was produced from spring 1971 to early 1985.
It was produced in a number of 11,616 copies, of which 2340 vehicles were accounted for by the A310 four-cylinder models (1971-1976) and 9276 vehicles for the successor A310 V6 (1976-1985). According to the sales figures, the A310 V6 is the most successful model of the Alpine brand.
The A110 Berlinette is considered to be the predecessor of the A310, but it continued to be built parallel to the A310 until the end of 1977.
The successors to the A310 are the Alpine V6 GT and Alpine V6 Turbo (D500 / D501). Like its predecessors, the A310 was still entirely handcrafted. This tradition ended with the successor models.
The A310 was the last Alpine model developed by the company's founder Jean Rédélé before he sold the Alpine brand in full to the state-owned Renault . Due to the influence of Renault on the marketing of the Alpine brand, the double brand name "Alpine Renault", later (1980s) "Renault Alpine", was used as the sales name for vehicles of the Alpine brand. The A310 was also affected. In the original vehicle documents of the A310, nothing changed, only Alpine was officially registered as manufacturer and brand (type code number: 3033/3030000).
In 1989, the then parent company Renault changed its strategy for marketing the Alpine brand and had the double brand name "Renault Alpine" as a sales name completely deleted. The vehicles were again exclusively equipped with Alpine emblems ex works and sold as Alpine. The return to the origins should give the Alpine brand back its independent image. The time of the fuzzy separation of the two brands, which from a legal point of view were two independent brands at all times, has always led to confusion as to which manufacturer and which brand the Alpine vehicles should be correctly assigned to.
The Alpine A310 could be ordered as a new car in Germany from an Alpine base. These bases were set up within the existing Renault dealer network so that the selected Renault dealerships represented both brands.
development
In 1968, Jean Rédélé, the founder and then sole owner of the Alpine sports car brand, began developing the A310. Rédélé wanted to add a completely new sports car model to the reduced Alpine model range. There had been no development work for new Alpine models since the early 1960s. Rédélé no longer focused solely on sportiness in his new vehicle, as he did with the A110 Berlinette, but wanted the new car to be more comfortable.
The A310 was to come onto the market as a French competitor to Porsche . As with Porsche, a 2 + 2-seater with a six-cylinder engine was planned. The 2 + 2-seater concept could only be implemented to a limited extent. The A310 had two jump seats behind the driver's seats; however, they were very scarce and looked more like two recesses.
The A310 was essentially developed by six people: Richard Bouleau was the chief engineer, Roger Prieur was responsible for detailed technical issues, Bernard Dudot - later involved in Renault's Formula 1 program - was responsible for the mechanics, Michel Beligond and Yves Legal were the stylists , and Marcel Hubert monitored the aerodynamics. Much of the work was carried out in Jean Rédélé's private apartment, because the old factory on Avenue Pasteur had become too small, but the new factory on Avenue de Bréauté in Dieppe was not yet completely finished. The first plans and models of the vehicle were made in Jean Redele's kitchen. Since the PRV engine , which was jointly developed by Renault, Peugeot and Volvo, was not yet ready for series production, it was decided to initially bring the A310 onto the market with the four-cylinder engine from the Renault 16 TS . The prototype was presented to the public in Geneva in spring 1971.
technology
The technology of the A310 was not completely redeveloped. Alpine initially took over the central tubular frame of the A110, which was glued to the body, but can be detached for restoration without any problems. The wheelbase corresponded to the 2 + 2-seater A110 GT4. The rear-wheel drive technology essentially corresponded to that of the Renault 8 and 10 . The engine was installed behind the rear axle. However, the Alpine has a double wishbone at the rear - instead of a swing axle .
The wheels were individually suspended all around and had coil springs, wishbones and stabilizers. If the chassis of an Alpine A310 is not fine-tuned, the vehicle is sometimes reported to be difficult to drive. If this is the case, the car should be readjusted by an Alpine specialist. A correctly set A310 will not become unstable even at high speeds. The spare wheel, the tank and the water cooler were placed in the front of the car. This improved the weight distribution. There was no trunk. Some use the spare wheel recess in the front of the car as a trunk.
body
In the interests of weight reduction, the body of the A310 was made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic, just like the previous model . It was laminated by hand . For example, because the doors were cut out of the body, there are minimal differences between the components, which makes it difficult to adapt spare parts.
The body goes back to the British designer Trevor Fiore . Fiore had been a freelancer for the Italian Carrozzeria Fissore since the late 1960s , which, among other things, produced the bodies for the Swiss sports car manufacturer Monteverdi . It is widely believed that Peter Monteverdi , owner of the Basel company, took up Fiore's design and based it on his own mid-engine sports car called the Hai 450 . This explains the basic similarity of the lines of the Alpine to those of the (previously presented) Monteverdi.
The design of the body was improved through tests in the wind tunnel, which among other things led to the headlights on the front being hidden under a glass cover in order to reduce air resistance. Alpine was thus reminiscent of the French luxury coupé Citroën SM , which had appeared a year earlier with a similarly designed front section.
At 4.25 m in length, 1.68 m in width and 1.15 m in height, the body was larger than that of the smaller A110 Berlinette. The difference was only 2 cm in height.
A lamella-like shingle grill of the rear section (bonnet) of the prototype and the first copies of the A310, which some observers reminded of the Lamborghini Miura , should reduce the air resistance. However, the French regulatory authorities did not approve the use of the shed grill. Some sources cite the reason that the scales have too much impairment of the rear view.
Therefore, in the third year of construction, the shed grill was no longer offered in series and was replaced by an inclined pane of glass. The shed grill was still available in the accessory trade and could be retrofitted.
The 1971 Alpine A310 prototype had taillights mounted over the bumper. This, too, had to be changed due to the French registration regulations, so that the backsides were moved downwards in all series models.
Versions of the Alpine A310
Four cylinder models
Alpine A310 prototype
The prototype was presented to the public in Geneva in spring 1971. It is essentially the same as the production model with four cylinders, but had a shed grill and the taillights were mounted above the bumper.
Alpine A310
Type A310 internal: 1600VE / 1600VF.
After the completion of the new plant in Dieppe, production of the A310 began in the summer of 1971. The car received the 1.6-liter engine of the Renault 16 TS, which developed 85 kW (115 hp) with its cross-flow cylinder head.
Sales got off to a slow start because, on the one hand, the significantly lighter and therefore sportier A110 Berlinette continued to be produced until the end of 1977 and achieved great success in sport, especially in the early 1970s: with it Alpine won the European Rally Championship, the World Rally Championship , the international brand world championship and two triple winners at the Monte Carlo Rally. The sporting success caused the sales of the A110 Berlinette to rise sharply during this time. 88 In addition, the A310 was a comparatively expensive car when it was launched. In 1972 its sales price in Germany was DM 31,975. This was roughly the same as the price of the Porsche 911 S , which had an output of 140 kW (190 hp), while Porsche asked for a Porsche 911 T with 96 kW (131 hp) for just 23,480 DM. An Alfa Romeo 2000 GT Veloce with 131 hp cost almost half an Alpine at DM 16,790. The slightly higher weight of the A310 compared to the A110 was also noticeable with the four-cylinder engine.
From 1973, the A310 was optionally available with an electronic injection system that had already been used in the Renault 17 . All of these vehicles were exported. As the A310 SI, the car now developed 91 kW (124 hp). But sales continued to decline as a result of the oil crisis until the mid-1970s. To promote sales, a more economical, less powerful, 70 (95 hp) version with the designation A310 SX was brought onto the market. Around 2,340 copies of the various four-cylinder versions of the A310 were made.
In 1974 the body of the four-cylinder A310 was revised. The internal labeling changed in parallel.
Alpine A310 1600 (1971-1976)
The glazed front section with six headlights is typical of the four-cylinder A310.
Rear view
A 310 six-cylinder
PRV six-cylinder engine and V6 prototypes
The PRV six-cylinder engine was developed in collaboration between Peugeot , Renault and Volvo . It was also used in Alpine and DeLorean vehicles.
At the beginning of 1975 the development of the PRV V6 engine was completed. It was originally developed as an eight-cylinder engine, but was shortened to six cylinders after the oil crisis. Since it retained the cylinder bank angle of 90 degrees, which is ideal for V8 engines, and shared crank pins for opposing cylinders, even as a six-cylinder unit, it ran unevenly. It could be corrected in later versions using a crankshaft with offset crank pins. The 2664 cm³ engine with an all-aluminum housing was built by Renault in the Douvrin plant until 1998. It was redesigned by Alpine for the A310. In 1975 Alpine developed a six-cylinder variant of the A310 based on this engine. The engine mount has been completely redesigned. Subsequent conversion of a four-cylinder model to a six-cylinder engine is therefore not possible.
In order to convert the A310 to the six-cylinder engine, two different prototypes of the A310 V6 were created in 1975, which were subjected to intensive tests. One of the prototypes had pop-up headlights and the lines at the rear were reminiscent of the Maserati Merak . The second was only changed changes to the stern.
In the end, it was decided not to make any significant external changes to the rear of the vehicle, and the design of the four-cylinder version was revised in detail. This resulted in minor stylistic changes in the A310 V6. Instead of the six headlights of the four-cylinder model, the A310 V6 only had four headlights. The air outlets in the fenders were closed on the V6, the Alpine emblem on the sides was omitted. In addition, the A310 V6 got a rear spoiler lip.
Alpine A310 V6
Type: A310 internal: 2700VA
At the beginning of 1976, the development of the V6 model was completed and the first 140 copies of the A310 V6 left the factory in Dieppe. In the production version of the Alpine A310 V6, the PRV engine developed 110 kW (150 PS) at 6000 rpm, in the racing version 198 kW (270 PS). A Solex downdraft carburetor 34 TBIA and a Solex double downdraft carburetor 35CEEI are standard , which both feed into a central intake spider and both supply the six cylinders. This construction is rather unusual. The engine with a low load can be increased in performance with simple changes, for example by changing the carburetor. The A310 V6's V6 engine was a better match for the vehicle's higher weight.
With 9,276 units built from spring 1976 to early 1985, the A310 V6 was significantly more successful than its four-cylinder predecessor. It was Alpine's most successful model in terms of sales and sold even more frequently than the famous A110 Berlinette.
Alpine A310 V6 (1976-1980)
Cockpit of the Alpine A310 V6 (another instrument was added later)
Alpine A310 V6 as a police vehicle
An Alpine A310 V6 in 2013
As part of a comprehensive model upgrade, the narrow rubber bumpers at the front and rear were replaced by large plastic bumpers and the three-hole wheels were replaced by the four-hole TRX wheels with turbine design from the Renault 5 Turbo . The new axle construction corresponded to that of the R5 Turbo . Robert Opron , a French designer who worked for Renault at the time, oversaw these modifications. Opron had previously worked at Simca and Citroën , where they developed the shape of the Simca 1100 and the Citroën SM .
The second series of the A310 V6 also got an additional instrument in the dashboard. The Alpine A310 V6 from 1981 onwards has a registered top speed of 225 km / h, making it the fastest road vehicle built in France at that time. The acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h was 7.8 seconds. An Alpine A310 V6 cost around 44,000 DM in 1981, depending on the equipment, and was therefore only slightly below the sales price of a Porsche 911.
Alpine A310 V6 (1980–1985)
Rear view
Alpine A310 V6 Pack GT
Type: A310 internal: 2700VAA
The Alpine A310 V6 Pack GT is offered from 1983 widened version of the A310 V6, which in France A310 GT Pack and Germany as A310 S was offered. This model was only built from 1983 to 1985. In addition to the widened body and the significantly wider flared fenders, the A310 GT-Pack has a modified rear and front spoiler.
The widening of the A310 V6 GT has reduced its registered top speed to 215 km / h. In addition, this model received different wheels, although nothing was changed in the engine. After a redesign of the door locks, most genuine A310 V6 GT Packs have an extra push button in the doors. There are many vehicles on the market today that have been subsequently widened. The marking of the real Pack GT is 2700VAA, that of a regular version is 2700VA.
Alpine A310 V6 Pack GT (1983–1985)
Alpine A310 V6 (above additional push button)
Alpine A310 V6 with body kit
A310 V6 Kit Boulogne
A derivative of the A310 V6 GT-Pack is a version called Kit Boulogne with extensive changes to the engine. The Kit Boulogne vehicles had a PRV six-cylinder engine that was enlarged to 2.8 liters and was based on an engine developed in 1977 for rallying . It was equipped with two triple carburettors from Weber (type IDA46) and developed 142 kW (193 hp) at 6000 revolutions per minute. The top speed of this model was 235 km / h. Externally, the body of the Boulogne kit corresponded to the body of the Alpine A310 V6 GT Pack, but it was the only one to be equipped with a shed grill as a hood, which differs from the shed grill from the accessories.
The Kit Boulogne model is a rare version of the A310. Only a few company vehicles were built. In addition to them, there are some replicas and modifications.
Alpine A310 V6 Group 4
Vehicles built between 1976 and 1980 are also offered on the market again and again with a widening that only six vehicles of the first series had from the Dieppe plant. As a rule, these are vehicles that were subsequently widened.
Sporting successes
In terms of sport, the Alpine A310 is often overshadowed by the A110 Berlinette, which shaped rallying for many years and was used in active racing from 1961 to the mid-1970s. The Alpine A310 only reached full maturity in 1976 with the use of the V6 engine, as this more powerful engine could compensate for the higher weight. The racing version of the Alpine A310 V6 had 270 hp and was only used very briefly (approx. 1 year), but successfully in racing. In the first race of the Alpine A310 V6 at the international Rallye du Var, Guy Fréquelin prevailed against 190 teams that were at the start. The other balance of 1976 was three participations in rallies, the result was three victories for Alpine. The Calberson Alpine A310 with Guy Fréquelin beat competitors like the legendary Lancia Stratos and also Porsche with more horsepower (Calberson is the name of a sponsor who had already supported Alpine in the prototype category in the 1960s). In 1977 the Calberson-Alpine A310 V6 with Guy Fréquelin and Jacques Delaval became French rally champions. In the same year (1977) Jean Ragnotti won the French rallycross championship with the Alpine A310 V6 and the Austrian Herbert Grünsteidl won the FIA European rallycross championship with a largely identical Alpine A310 V6 . Further victories from 1977: Victory for the Alpine A310 V6 at the Neige et Glace rally, the Ronde de la Giraglia, the Rallye d'Armor, the Critérium J. Behra, the Rallye de Touraine, the Ronde Limousine, the Rallye de la Châtaigne, at the Critérium des Cévennes, at the Rallye du Vercors, at the Rallye du Var.
In 1978 Renault took over the Alpine sports car brand completely. Jean Rédélé resigned as President Directeur General at Alpine and sold his last stake in Renault. These changes meant that from 1978 Alpine vehicles were no longer used in racing. The parent company Renault, which was represented by a works team in Formula 1 from 1977 , had no interest in continuing the long tradition of Alpine vehicles in rallying.
As a result of this internal change, the sporting career of all Alpine vehicles ended, in the case of the Alpine A310 V6, before it had actually started.
production
| Production numbers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Model year | A310 four-cylinder | A310 V6 |
| 1971 | 301 | - |
| 1972 | 402 | - |
| 1973 | 658 | - |
| 1974 | 344 | - |
| 1975 | 306 | - |
| 1976 | 329 | 140 |
| 1977 | - | 1,220 |
| 1978 | - | 1,216 |
| 1979 | - | 1,381 |
| 1980 | - | 1,138 |
| 1981 | - | 1,284 |
| 1982 | - | 1,095 |
| 1983 | - | 1,139 |
| 1984/1985 | - | 663 |
| total | 2,340 | 9,276 |
Serial numbers
1971 .... 4 cyl. Carburettor ...... 1600 VE ...................... 001 to 0010
1972 .... 4 cyl. Carburettor ...... 1600 VE .................... 0011 to 0550
1973 .... 4 cyl. Carburettor ...... 1600 VE .................... 0551 to 1200
1974 .... 4 cylinder injection ......... .1600 VF ................. 21185 to 21750
1975 .... 4 cylinder injection .......... 1600 VF ...... ........... 21751 to 22016
1976 .... 4 cylinder injection .......... 1600 VF ............... ..22017 to 22137
1976 .... 4 cyl. Einf.Verg ..... 1600 VG ................. 40000 to 40386
1977 .... V6 .............. ............ 2700 VA ................. 43015 to 43795
1978 .... V6 .......... ................ 2700 VA ................. 43796 to 45089
1979 .... V6 ...... .................... 2700 VA
1979 .... V6 GR IV ................ 2700 VA .. ............... 45090 to 46355
1980 .... V6 .......................... 2700 VA ................. 46356 to 47683
1981 .... V6 ...................... .... 2700 VA ................. 47710 to 48847
1982 .... V6 .................. ........ 2700 VA ................. 48848 to 49960
1983 .... V6 .............. ............ 2700 VA
1983 .... V6 GT ..................... 2700 VAA ...... ......... 49961 to 52093
1984 .... V6 .......................... 2700 VA
1984 ... .V6 GT ..................... 2700 VAA ............... E0000001 to E0001781
1985 .... V6 .......................... 2700 VA
1985 .... V6 GT ............... ...... 2700 VAA ............... F0000324 to F0001874
Identification of the country of first delivery
The country code can be found on a metal sticker that is attached in the engine compartment. Among other things, the VIN and axle loads are noted on this plate . This information can be found on the left side, on the right there is an oval. The country code can also be found in this oval, in which, among other things, the codes for paintwork, upholstery, etc. are noted.
The following country codes were used:
100 France
101 Belgium
102 Italy
103 Netherlands
120 Germany
123 Switzerland
267 Spain
203 Mexico
267 Portugal
Only the VIN does not provide any information about color, upholstery or country of first delivery, so these codes are necessary when searching for spare parts.
literature
- Frédérick Lhospied: Alpine Renault A310 , Boulogne, ISBN 2-7268-8452-0
- Bernard Sara, Gilles Labrouche: Alpine. La passion bleue . ETAI (Antony) 2011, ISBN 978-2-7268-9549-8
- Michael Hundt: French cuisine . Presentation of the Alpine A310 in: Oldtimer Markt, 11/2004, pp. 8–16
- Wolfgang Blaube : Hai Live . In: Oldtimer Markt 2/2006. (Documentation about the Monteverdi Hai 450 SS with references to the Alpine A310)
- Ulrich Bethscheider-Kieser: Cars made history . Renault Alpine. Ed .: Mike Riedner. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 978-3-613-01407-7 , p. 156 .
- Frank Oleski and Hartmut Lehbrink: Series sports cars . 1983/1993 (Könemann), ISBN 3-89508-000-4
Web links
- Renault Alpine Club International
- Alpine Renault Club International
- Alpine links
- Alpine friends Hessen
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sara, Labrouche, Vaillard: Alpine. La Bleue Passion. P. 41.
- ↑ In the automotive literature it is occasionally mocked that “two pygmies could also travel with you at short notice”. See Oleski / Lehbrink: Series sports car, p. 390.
- ↑ Sara, Labrouche, Vaillard: Alpine. La Bleue Passion. P. 41.
- ↑ Oldtimer Markt, issue 11/2004, p. 11.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated November 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Oldtimer Markt, issue 2/2006, p. 10 ff.
- ↑ Sara, Labrouche, Vaillard leave the question of authorship open in their brand history. They limit themselves to the statement that both cars are similar (Alpine. La Bleue Passion, p. 41).
- ↑ Sara, Labrouche, Vaillard: Alpine. La Bleue Passion. P. 41.
- ↑ Oldtimer Markt, issue 11/2004, p. 14.
- ↑ Prices according to: Auto Catalog 1973/74.
- ↑ Oldtimer Markt, issue 11/2004, p. 16.
