Alpine A110

Alpine A110
Overview
Manufacturer	Alpine
Production	1961–77
Designer	Jean Rédélé[1]
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door Coupé (Berlinette)
Layout	RR layout
Powertrain
Engine	1.1 L, 1.2 L, and 1.3 L R8 Major/Gordini I4 1.5 L Lotus Europa I4 1.3 L and 1.6 L Renault I4
Transmission	5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	(2.271 m) 89.4 in
Length	(4.05 m) 159 in
Width	(1.50 m) 59.1 in
Curb weight	706 kg (1,556 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Alpine A108
Successor	Alpine A310

The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The Alpine A110 was introduced as an evolution of the A108. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines.

History

Like other road-going Alpines, the 1961 A110 used many Renault parts – including engines. But while the preceding A108 was designed around Dauphine components, the A110 was updated to use R8 parts. Unlike the A108, which was available first as a cabriolet and only later as a coupé, the A110 was delivered first with "Berlinetta" bodywork and then as a cabriolet. The main visible difference with the A108 coupé was a restyling of the rear body to fit the larger engine, which gave the car a more aggressive look. Like the A108, the A110 featured a steel backbone chassis with fiberglass body. The A110 was originally available with 1.1 L R8 Major or R8 Gordini engines. The Gordini engine delivered 95 hp (71 kW) SAE at 6,500 rpm.

A110 GT4

The A110 achieved most of its fame in the early 1970s as a victorious rally car. After winning several rallies in France in the late 1960s with iron-cast R8 Gordini engines the car was fitted with the aluminium-block Renault 16 TS engine. With two dual-chamber Weber 45 carburetors, the TS engine delivered 125 hp (93 kW) DIN at 6,000 rpm. This allowed the production 1600S to reach a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph). The longer wheelbase 2+2 Alpine GT4, originally considered a version of the A108, was updated with A110 engines and mechanicals, now being marketed as the "A110 GT4".

The car reached international fame during the 1970–1972 seasons when it participated in the newly created International Championship for Manufacturers, winning several events around Europe and being considered one of the strongest rally cars of its time. Notable performances from the car included victory in the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally with Swedish driver Ove Andersson.

With the buy-out of Alpine by Renault complete, the International Championship was replaced by the World Rally Championship for 1973, at which time Renault elected to compete with the A110. With a team featuring Bernard Darniche, Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Jean-Luc Thérier as permanent drivers and "guest stars" like Jean-Claude Andruet (who won the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally) the A110 won most races where the works team was entered, making Alpine the first World Rally Champion. Later competition-spec A110s received engines of up to 1.8 litres.

Alpine A110 1600SX

As well as being built at Alpine's Dieppe factory, A110 models were constructed by various other vehicle manufacturers around the world. The Alpine A110 was produced in Mexico under the name "Dinalpin", from 1965 to 1974, by Diesel Nacional (DINA), which also produced Renault vehicles. The Alpine A110 was also produced in Bulgaria under the name "Bulgaralpine", from 1967 to 1969, by a cooperative formed between SPC Metalhim and ETO Bulet, whose collaboration also resulted in the production of the Bulgarrenault.

In 1974 the mid-engined Lancia Stratos, the first car designed from scratch for rally racing, was operational and homologated. At the same time, it was obvious that the tail-engined A110 had begun reaching the end of its development. The adoption of fuel injection brought no performance increase. On some cars, a DOHC 16-valve head was fitted to the engine, but it proved unreliable. Chassis modification, like the use of an A310 double wishbone rear suspension, homologated with the A110 1600SC, also failed to increase performance. On the international stage, the Stratos proved to be the "ultimate weapon", making the A110, as well as many other rally cars, soon obsolete. The A110 is still seen in events such as Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique.

In 2012, to mark the 50th anniversary of the A110, Renault prodded a concept car called the A110-50.

Engines

The A110 was fitted with various powerplants. Here is a list of the engines used on production cars:

Name	Year	Model	Engine description	Type	Displacement	Power
A110 956	1963-1965		R8	R8	956 cc	55 hp SAE
A110 1100 «70»	1964-1969	1100 VA	R8 Major	688[2]	1108 cc	66 hp SAE
A110 1100 «100»	1965-1968	1100 VB	R8 Gordini	804[3]	1108 cc	95 hp SAE
A110 1300 «Super»[4] / S	1966-1971	1300 VB	Tuned R8 Gordini	804[5]	1296 cc	120 hp SAE
A110 1300 / 1300 G	1967-1971	1300 VA	stock R8 Gordini 1300	812[6]	1255 cc	105 hp SAE
A110 1500	1967-1968		Lotus Europa with R16 block	Lotus Type 65	1470 cc	82 hp SAE
A110 1600	1969-1970	1600 VA	stock R16 TS	807-24[7]	1565 cc	102 hp SAE
A110 V85 / 1300	1970-1976	1300 VC	R12 TS	810-30[8]	1289 cc	81 hp SAE (68 hp DIN)
A110 1600 S	1970-1971	1600 VB	tuned R16 TS	807-24[9]	1565 cc	138 hp SAE (125 hp DIN)
A110 1600 S / SC	1972-1975	1600 VD	R16 TS[10]	844–32[11]	1605 cc	140 hp SAE (127 hp DIN)
A110 1600 SI	1973-1975	1600 VD	R17 TS with injection	844-34	1605 cc	140 hp SAE (127 hp DIN)
A110 1600 SX	1976-1977	1600 VH	stock R16 TX	843[12]	1647 cc	93 hp DIN

Specifications A110 Berlinette (1966)

Engine
Engine: Renault 1108 cc Straight-4
Power output: 98 hp SAE (73 kW) gross; compression ratio 9.6

Chassis/Body
Overall length: 12.633 ft (3.851 m)
Overall width: 4.825 ft (1.471 m)
Height: 3.708 ft (1.130 m)
Turning circle: 30.333 ft (9.246 m)
Wheelbase: 6.885 ft (2.099 m)
Front track: 4.100 ft (1.250 m)
Rear track: 4.000 ft (1.219 m)
Empty weight: 1199 lb (544 kg)

Performance Top speed: 219 km/h (136 mph)

Unique characteristics: due to the rear-mounted engine there was no air-intake grille on the front of the body. Cooling air was scooped from below the chassis and exhausted through near-horizontal openings on the rear fenders above and aft of the rear wheels.^[13]

Specifications A110 1600S (1970–73)

Engine
Engine: Renault 1565 cc Straight-4
Power Output: 138 hp SAE (103 kW) gross (125 PS DIN (93 kW))

Transmission
Transmission: 5-Speed Manual

Chassis/Body
Chassis: Steel backbone
Body Panels: Fiberglass
Weight: 1367 lb (620 kg)
Length: 159 in (4.039 m)
Width: 59.1 in (1.501 m)
Wheelbase: 89.4 in (2.271 m)
Track (Front/Rear): 48.0 in (1.219 m) / 49.2 in (1.250 m)

Performance
Top speed: 210 km/h (130 mph)

WRC Victories

No.	Event	Season	Driver	Co-driver
1	42ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo	1973	Jean-Claude Andruet	Michèle 'Biche' Petit
2	7º TAP Rallye de Portugal	1973	Jean-Luc Thérier	Jacques Jaubert
3	16ème Rallye du Maroc	1973	Bernard Darniche	Alain Mahé
4	21st Acropolis Rally	1973	Jean-Luc Thérier	Christian Delferrier
5	15º Rallye Sanremo	1973	Jean-Luc Thérier	Jacques Jaubert
6	17ème Tour de Corse	1973	Jean-Pierre Nicolas	Michel Vial

References

1. "Designer". ajovalo.net. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
2. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
3. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
4. Auto-Rétro n°32, avril 1983.
5. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
6. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
7. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
8. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
9. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
10. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
11. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
12. Christian Descombes, Alpine, Label bleu, série et compétition, édition E.P.A.
13. A. L. Manwaring, The Observer's Book of Automobiles (12th ed., 1966), Library of Congress catalog card #62-9807, p. 35

External links

• AR AlpineRenault.com
• RenaultSport's A-110 Rally Heritage