1972 Renault A110 Alpine 1300S Coupe (RHD)

Description

Jean Rédélé's beautiful little Alpines are regarded as some of the greatest rally cars of all time, with the A110 model dominating the international stage in the 1960s and early 1970s. From humble beginnings, Rédélé began competing in Renault 4CVs before constructing a series of specials in the mid-1950s, leading to his first serious attempt at building his own production car, christened the Alpine A108. In the low-slung berlinette version of 1959 we can see the beginnings of the A110 shape, which burst onto the scene in 1962. Sharing the same steel backbone chassis with fibreglass body construction and mid-engined layout, the A110 was a further refinement of the A108's general shape and production commenced at the Dieppe workshop in early 1963. The A110 utilised the five-bearing 956cc engine from the new Renault R8, along with disc bakes all round and four-speed gearbox. Throughout the 1960s, Alpine continued to develop and race the little A110 with increasing success, not only in Europe but as far afield as South America, where a deal was ultimately struck to produce the cars under licence, a situation repeated in Mexico and Bulgaria. The burgeoning popularity of rallying came at a critical time for Alpine, with the A110 perfectly suited to the rugged forest stages or twisty tarmac rallies of Europe. Piloted by the likes Jean-Claude Andruet, Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Bernard Darniche - not exactly household names here but legends in Europe - the A110 began chalking up win after win (more than 200 in total), culminating in the first World Championship in 1973. Notable victories that season included the San Remo, Tour de Corse, Acropolis, Monte Carlo and Portuguese rallies. Along the way, the road-going A110 gradually evolved into a potent weapon, adopting the latest alloy 16TS engine in 1969, with twin Weber 45 carburettors and 125 horsepower on tap. Customers could also order Group 3 or Group 4 versions to compete themselves and many Alpines raced in the hands of privateers around the world, including Australia where an ex-works car was loaned to local drivers Bob Watson and Jeff Beaumont to win the 1974 Rally Don Capasco. Today the Alpine A110 enjoys a cult following around the globe and is becoming increasingly valuable as the years tick by; works cars now regularly fetch six figure sums and prices of good road cars are rising fast.