COMPETITION 1961-1965

Réédition partielle de la collection Alpine Renault - Construisez l’Alpine A110 1600S Berlinette

The great rivals

During the first half of the 1960s, from 1961 to 1965, when the A110 was introduced, Alpine faced some strong competition. An additional test for the berlinette!

In the current liberal system, every manufacturer has to accept competition. When Jean Rédélé created Alpine, a brand that was undoubtedly sporty, he was positioning himself right from the start against some of the big names in the industry: Panhard in France, Alfa Romeo in Italy, Porsche in Germany, not forgetting MG, Triumph and Austin Healey in the UK. A review of the world of the small sports car in the early 1960s.

Then in 1959, Alpine ramped up its power with the A108, equipped with an 850 cm3 engine (only 750 cm3 in the A106) followed by a 900 cm3 engine. The reputation of these small sports cars from Normandy continued to grow. In 1960, the A108 "Tour de France", with its redesigned front end including a very inclined windshield, was the introduction of the berlinette concept. That same year also witnessed the introduction of the beam chassis. Both developments, which were to ensure the success of the future A110 for the next fifteen years, were launched in the same year.

THE RIVALS OF THE A108

Alpine's A106 and A108 were available in 1961 as sports coupes, 2+2 coupes, cabriolet and saloon versions, with an engine range of five versions (from 750 to 1,000, developing between 40 and 70

bhp). Theoretically, any combination was possible, since the cars were still being assembled by traditional craftsmen. There were thus twenty different versions of these cars, not counting special improvements - even if some combinations were purely theoretical - with the result that an Alpine from this period could cost the customer between NF14,000 and NF20,000 ('New Franc'). The Dieppe-based brand had to face up to a broad range of competition, and although its speciality was that of a genuine sports car, it was not difficult to understand the customer's point of view, who might be hesitating between an Alpine and one of its direct competitors, or perhaps a less sporty car with a more powerful engine, or even a real shiny saloon car like those found in Italy...

The little French DB with its two-cylinder Panhard engine was rather similar to the Alpine: its engine could achieve 75 bhp and prices were comparable. In Germany, Porsche had always been Alpine's rival: the 356 had a 1600 engine with 110 bhp and was priced at up to NF 30,000, putting it in a higher price category. On the other hand, the Italian Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI, with 75 bhp and a price of 17,000 NF, appeared to be very close to the Alpine's numbers... yes, but it was a saloon. Ultimately, it was in the UK that Alpine encountered its toughest competition, even though the Sunbeams, Triumph TR3s and other MGAs and Midgets, which were comparable on paper in terms of price and coupé or cabriolet bodywork, were far less sophisticated and less sporty.

THE A110 AND ITS RIVALS

From 1962, a new era began! Renault introduced the five-stage engine that would delight the R8 and, initially, the Floride. This 1,000 cm3 engine was ideally suited to sports tuning, being more robust than the old three-stage engine used in the Dauphine, and offering greater possibilities for increasing engine capacity. As it already existed in 1962, Alpine could immediately make the most of it. We know the story: the new engine was a little bigger, so the rear of the Tour de France saloon had to be redesigned, resulting in a new car, the A110 Berlinette (with a capital letter) familiar to everyone. The A110 also benefited from Renault's signature improvements, such as disc brakes on all four wheels, making it much more powerful than its cousin the A108.

At present, there was no competition version, so although the lines had changed, the performance remained more or less the same... and so did the competition! The only newcomer was the French brand René Bonnet, with its Djet models, which were also powered by Renault engines and were fairly similar to the Alpine. Quite similar, but slightly inferior, for comparable prices. Triumph then launched its new TR4, with more modern styling than the old TR3 but without any great technical improvements. It was sold for around 18,000 NF, still in the same price range as the Alpine, from which it differed by having a large 2,100 cm3, 105 bhp engine (190 km/h), but its roadholding was much more subdued: more of a leisure convertible than a real sports car.

THE LAST YEARS

During the three years leading up to the middle of the 1960s, the A110 made its mark in competition, becoming a symbol of high performance, at the same time as its commercial versions grew in popularity. The competition did not rest on its laurels against the Alpine, and the landscape of the sports car - or leisure car - was also changing. While the brands remained the same, the models evolved. In 1965, for example, Porsche replaced its 356 with a car that would become just as legendary as the A110: the Porsche 911, needless to say! With its 2-litre six-cylinder ACT engine producing almost 150 bhp (SAE), it outperformed the most powerful Alpine, and was only slightly inferior in terms of roadholding. Whereas the A110 was priced at around NF20,000, the Porsche came in at a whopping 45,000! Alfa, too, prepared to fight the battle across the Alps: its beautiful Giulia Sprint (25,000 NF) offered 130 bhp thanks to its 1,600 cm3 twin-cylinder four-cylinder engine.

Not to mention the Fiat 1500 from 90 to 110 bhp (around NF 20,000). But it was from the other side of the Channel that the strongest rivals in terms of sales figures were to be found: while British coupés and convertibles were still not up to scratch in terms of road-holding qualities, their prices were well contained and their power output was more than adequate, thanks to engines with larger displacements than the ones fitted in the Alpine. Let's take a quick look at them, starting with the big engine of the little Austin Healey Mk III: a 3,000 cm3 six-cylinder producing almost 150 bhp! Then there was the Triumph Spitfire (1,100 x 65 bhp) and TR4, as well as the famous MGB (1,800 x 95 bhp). These last three were sold in large numbers around the world, attracting more gentlemen drivers than sports enthusiasts. Let's finish our overview by returning to France, where the Matra Djet, René Bonnet's heir, provided a good answer to the famous Alpine: the Djet VS with a beam chassis and R8 Gordini engine (just like the A110!) became a credible alternative, advertised at 23,000 NF. And, for a little more (24,000 NF), you could treat yourself to a Facel-Vega Facel III (1,800 110 bhp from Volvo). Less sporty and more luxurious.

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" THE WIZARD “

Perhaps the Alpine star wouldn't have shone so brightly if Marc Mignotet hadn't been there! The historic engine tuner of the blue cars was as skilful as he was discrete.

Today, the racing departments of major manufacturers are a breeding ground for engineers, but it wasn't always that way. Up until the Second World War and even a little after, isolated but talented tuners could still challenge the big factories with their know-how. This was the case of Amédée Gordini in France, who battled against Mercedes-Benz in Formula 1 with his limited resources, using only his intuition and genius. And Marc Mignotet was just such a man: in the early 1970s, as Renault moved into the modern era, employing highly talented engineers familiar with modern computer-based working methods, it was in the small workshop of Mignotet, a mechanic without any advanced training working alone, that the engines for all the official Alpine cars were tuned. This was no act of kindness on the part of Jean Rédélé. It was simply because his engines were the best!

SORCERER STORIES

In the world of mechanics, some of the best tuners are known as 'wizards'. Carlo Abarth and, in France, the most famous of them all, Amédée Gordini. But Marc Mignotet was also nicknamed 'the wizard'. A sorcerer is a magician, and not everything that can be explained rationally falls into the category of witchcraft. But it turns out that, at first glance, the preparations of Marc Mignotet cannot be explained rationally: more than one "sorcerer's apprentice" opened an engine prepared by Mignotet without succeeding in cracking the secret of its performance. Then they closed it again... only to find that it didn't work as well! It seems that Mignotet's secret is quite simple: it lies in the extremely precise assembly of all the parts, which can be altered, slightly but surely, by simply dismantling them. Spending hours balancing a crankshaft leaves no trace, but if all the parts are carefully looked after in the same way, the result is a powerful engine... and the most reliable of all!

THE INFANCY OF ART

Marc Mignotet was born in 1910 into a typical French family. He turned to mechanics at an early age, learning the trade first at Citroën and then at Chenard et Walcker, a car manufacturer that no longer exists but was famous at the time. These were the mid-1920s, a time when the car industry was developing into a powerful business, but the traditional skills of the pioneers were still very much part of the culture. Mignotet was educated in a similar way as many other mechanics, who learned their profession on the job rather than through accredited training. He discovered the value of a job well done and learned the tricks of the trade from the older generation. Perhaps this was also where he got his taste for secrecy... like the mushroom picker jealous of his corners!

Marc Mignotet was 35 when the war ended. He moved to Gennevilliers, a parisian suburb, where he opened a car mechanics workshop. Times were changing, and the age of affordable cars was about to dawn, with cars of the same calibre as the Renault 4 CV. Already, the competition spirit was starting to tickle some amateur drivers: the stage was set, whatever was going to happen, happened!

THE LAURELS OF ALPINE

The 4CV was followed by the A106, which was the first Alpine, then came the A108. As previously mentioned, Mignotet remained a genial and stubborn craftsman, a tireless worker with the character of a bear, rarely leaving his lair: even at the height of Alpine's glory, in the mid-1970s, he was never seen racing, with the exception of his favourite competition: the Tour of Corsica, which he attended as if on a pilgrimage. And that's after all where the Alpine won its first major event!

As Mignotet said: "On the day of the race, the die is cast and I cannot modify the engine any more". What's more, Mignotet engines are renowned for being as solid as they are powerful; perhaps not 'the most powerful' in absolute terms, but certainly the most usable, which is an essential condition in rallying. What's more, Mignotet had to juggle with the constraints imposed on him; he didn't have the means to create an engine, he could only modify existing Renault engines.

Work was carried out on the 'breathing' (cylinder head and carburettors), as well as increasing the engine capacity. The 750 and 850 engines were increased to 900 and then 1,000 cm3 . The R8's 950 engine went from 1,440 to 1,600, and the R16's 'Cléon alu' from 1,560 to 1,600, 1,800 and even 2,000 cm3 for hill climbing. Let's finish with two impressive numbers: the original 750 of the 4CV developed 17 bhp. The 2-litre, up to 190 bhp! For almost 30 years, Marc Mignotet was responsible for the Alpine engines. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons for the brand's success in rallying. It was with the introduction of the turbo engine that the tuner decided to 'drop out'. It must be said that Renault then decided to favour a different, more scientific approach to preparation. The era of ingenious craftsmanship came to an end...

The Alpine A106 Mille Miles during a press test in 1957; the 4CV clearly visible beneath the coach's elegant lines. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Renault Communication / D.R.

LES LAURIERS ALPINE

Après la 4 CV vient le temps de l’A106, la première Alpine, puis de l’A108. Comme nous l’avons dit, Mignotet reste l’artisan à la fois génial et obstiné, travailleur infatigable au caractère d’ours, ne sortant que rarement de sa tanière : même au temps de la gloire d’Alpine, au milieu des années 1970, on ne le voit pas sur les courses, mis à part sur sa compétition de prédilection : le Tour de Corse, où il se rend comme en pèlerinage. Cela se comprend : après tout, c’est là que l’Alpine a cueilli ses premiers lauriers d’importance !

De toute manière, Mignotet le dit : « Le jour de la course, les dés sont jetés, je ne peux plus modifier mon moteur. » Et puis, les moteurs Mignotet sont réputés aussi solides que puissants ; peut-être pas « les plus puissants » dans l’absolu, mais assurément les plus exploitables, ce qui est une condition essentielle en rallye. De plus, Mignotet doit jongler avec les contraintes qu’on lui impose, il n’a pas les moyens de créer un moteur, il ne peut que modifier les moteurs Renault existants. Travail sur la « respiration » (culasse et carburateurs), mais aussi augmentation de cylindrée sont au programme. Les moteurs 750 et 850 passent ainsi à 900 puis 1 000 cm3 . Le moteur 950 de la R8 à 1 440 puis 1 600, et le « Cléon alu » de la R16 de 1 560 à 1 600, 1 800, et même 2 000 cm3 pour des courses de côte. Terminons avec deux chiffres choc : le 750 d’origine de la 4 CV développe 17 ch. Le 2 litres, jusqu’à 190 chevaux ! Marc Mignotet s’est occupé des moteurs Alpine pendant près de 30 ans. Assurément, cela constitue l’une des raisons du succès de la marque en rallyes. C’est avec l’avènement du moteur turbo que le préparateur « décroche ». Il faut dire que Renault décide alors de privilégier une autre approche de la préparation, plus scientifique. L’ère des artisans géniaux s’achève…

SIMCA 1000 COUPÉ

Simca often competed with Renault and Alpine: first Renault, with the Simca 1000 in direct competition with the R8, and the 1000 Rallye 2 against the R8 Gordini. But Simca also produced the CG-Simca, which competed with the A110, after introducing its beautiful 1200 S, which also competed with the Alpine. This competition started in 1961 with the Simca 1000 Coupé prototype. The car was presented to the public in the spring of 1962, designed by Giugiaro himself, who was working for Bertone at the time. The price was tempting - around NF12,000, compared with NF14,000 for the cheapest Alpine - and the power was comparable to that of the entry-level Alpine, but the comparison ended there: while the Alpines were genuine sports cars, the Simca 1000 was just a re-dressed saloon and didn't handle the road very well; it was primarily a showcase for Simca, with elegant beauty rather than serious sports car.