COMPETITION 1961-1965

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.

" 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 CEO of Renault, Pierre Dreyfus, in the A106 at the car's launch in 1955. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Renault Communication / D.R.

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.