Lot 149: 1972 Alpine A110 1600S Coup�

One of the great names in postwar French motorsport, Alpine was the brainchild of Dieppe garagiste�s son, Jean Redele, who began in the early 1950s by developing a competition version of the popular little Renault 4CV, which won its class in the Mille Miglia three years running.

From this he developed the first Alpine - the A106 with Renault 4CV running gear and streamlined glassfibre coup� bodywork - which was presented to Regie Renault in July 1955. This 747cc Renault 4CV-based machine set the trend for a range of sports cars culminating in the A610 of the mid-1990s. Glassfibre bodies and rear-mounted production engines remained a common theme for 40 years. Up-rated in 1956 with the new Dauphine engine, the A106 also established the company�s competition heritage with a class-winning performance in the 1956 Mille Miglia.

By 1958 Redele was using a sophisticated tubular steel chassis, and in 1961 he introduced the A108 Berlinette Tour de France which featured a tubular backbone frame, double wishbone front suspension and a Renault Dauphine swing-axle set-up at the rear. It was developed into a potent - and often unbeatable - rally car, using a variety of Renault power units.

In 1963 Alpine launched the A110 Berlinette, which became the mainspring of production, its rearward weight bias giving it outstanding cornering characteristics for rallying. In 1969 A110s finished 1-2-3 in the Coupe des Alpes and came third in the Monte Carlo Rally. The following year, Alpines again came third in the Monte and won the Italian Acropolis and Tour de Corse rallies. Alpine driver Jean-Claude Andruet became European Rally Champion. By 1971 the marque�s competition record had endeared Alpine to Renault to such an extent that they were appointed as its official competition wing. More successes followed in 1971-72-73.

Most illustrious of the Alpine range was the A110, an outstanding example of which is presented here in its most popular 1,600cc form. In production from 1962 through to 1977, this charismatic sports two-seater rivaled the Porsche 911 for performance while being even more exclusive � the hand-built Alpines left the factory at the rate of only 10 per week in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Finished in the marque�s characteristic blue livery with black interior, this particular car was delivered new to Italy and has remained in the current family ownership since then. Completely original apart from a repaint in the 1980s, it has covered only 57,800 kilometres from new. Noteworthy features include a heated windscreen, special gearbox and sheet-metal reinforced floor, the latter being a very rare factory �extra�. Petite and beautifully proportioned, the Alpine was a highly effective rally car and the more luxurious road versions provided an entertaining and rewarding drive.




La plus c�l�bre des Alpine est la berlinette A110 dont un superbe exemplaire est offert ici dans sa version 1600 cm3. Produite de 1962 � 1977, cette biplace de sport rivalisait avec les Porsche sur le plan des performances tout en �tant plus exclusive : les Alpine assembl�es � la main sortait � la cadence de 10 voitures par semaine � la fin des ann�es 1960. Peinte de la couleur vedette de la marque, le bleu, avec un int�rieur noir, cette voiture fut livr�e neuve en Italie o� elle est rest�e aux mains de la m�me famille jusqu�� aujourd�hui. Totalement d�origine except� une peinture effectu�e dans les ann�es 1980, elle n�a parcouru au total que 57 800 km. Elle est �quip�e d�un pare-brise chauffant, d�une bo�te de vitesses optionelle et d�un plancher renforc� en t�le, ce dernier �tant une tr�s rare option d�usine.