When we think of rally legends, we often think of Lancia Delta, Audi Quattro, or the old WRX STI and Lancer Evolution. You know, collect icons whose fascia is as clear as the day and whose names are as famous as A-list celebrities. This class of vehicle has produced some of the greatest moments in all of motorsport, and a suite of raucous street cars to match, but among all rally his heroes in history, the Alpine I hope you never forget the A110.
I hope I haven't forgotten the precious things of France sports car and one of their most popular classic carThe reinvigorated automaker, with the help of Renault, has come out with some faithful homages to remind everyone over the past few years. , was a fan favorite throughout its long production run.
The A110 was a very good car with an undeniable cool factor. Let me explain why.
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What is the Alpine A110?
Via Alpine
Calling the A110 a supercar is a bit of an overstatement. A supercar with just character and styling, this car has both.
The A110 was born in 1963 to Automobiles Alpine, a French car manufacturer famous for its focus on sports cars and racing. It was a surprisingly similar A108 and Porsche 356-like successor to the A106. Like all these vehicles, the A110 was a two-door, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive sports his coupe, with rounded edges, a small footprint and a voluptuous silhouette.
Over the years there have been almost as many engine variants as there are A110 variants. They're all 4-cylinder, and all supplied by Renault, from his sub-litre in his ultra-rare and (probably) ultra-slow A110 956, to his sizable 1,647 cc motor found in later cars. was Many variations hit under 100 hp, but his 1,565 and 1,605 cc engines on models from 1970 to 1975 pushed around 140 hp. This is healthy for cars weighing well under a ton.
The chassis was a surprisingly simple steel backbone, but the innovative body was molded from fiberglass. Interestingly, the body has no intake. Instead, the A110 sucked air into the engine through ducts in the underbody. What's more, the Lamborghini Miura didn't make its debut after the Alpine and even his three years, so its supercar-like guise predates what many consider the first supercar.
Alpine A110 has a real rally pedigree
Via Alpine
The A110's supple weight and streamlined profile combined with plenty of power and amazing ground clearance made it the perfect rally car of its time. It was a bright, agile machine that proved just as at home on tarmac as it did on gravel, and brought many class wins to Alpine throughout the car's career. He credits the increase with continued winning streaks, eventually beating out Alpine Romeo and Lancia in the 1968 Alpine Coupe des Alpes, giving Alpine the overall victory.
Alpine remained a dominant force even after the International Championship was replaced by the World Rally Championship (WRC). The A110 took two more overall victories in 1971 and his 1973 Monte Carlo his rally, the latter of which Alpine dominated the podium with his 1-2-3 finish. It was the golden age of the brand's racing career, which would soon be truncated by rivals who were fed up with Alpine's winning streak.
In 1974, Lancia fought back with the Stratos, a small, low-floor rally-ready sports car. This time, however, the engine and chassis layout were much more modern, with a mid-engined engine built on a steel spaceframe with a built-in roll cage. Despite Alpine's efforts to stay competitive with fuel-injected, 8-valve SOHC instead of his 16-valve DOHC heads, and improved suspension, the Stratos was an immediate hit, and the A110 and other rivals Outdated.
The A110's time in winner's circle came to an end with the belt handed to Lancia, but production of the A110 road car continued until 1977.
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Alpine A110 Legacy
Via Wards Auto
The A110 made a very lasting impression, even though it was doomed to obsolescence after 14 years of considerable running in the automotive industry forever. Its success and haunting looks inspired an unnamed batch of French sports cars, from successors to concept cars.
Interestingly, the A110 was produced alongside its supposed successor, the cyberpunk-inspired A310, which ran from 1971 to 1984. His 2.6-liter V6 with a fiberglass body and a standout party piece available. During that tenure, Alpine merged with Renault and the next sports car in the lineage was named Renault his Alpine GTA and his A610.
In 2012, Renault displayed the Renault Alpine A110-50 as a 50th anniversary tribute to the original roadgoing rally star. This was a fake endurance racer that actually worked thanks to the Nissan Renault V6 and sequential gearbox.
After much hype and anticipation, 2017 finally saw the return of the real A110. The current iteration is styled with admirable homage to its elders, with more aggressive and sporting variations debuting as the years go by. Of all the previous nods Renault and Alpine have given to its famous icon, it's arguably the best modern car in both style and spirit.
Source: Hagerty, Renault Group, Classic.com, eWRC-Results, Collecting Cars
