Dal 16 Luglio al 4 Settemre 2016 si e' svolta a Bruxelles la mostra per i primi 40 anni di produzione "Alpine" (1955-1995), la prestigiosa marca sportiva francese fondata da Jean Rédélé. Qui la descrizione ufficiale dell'evento, che potrete trovare anche in altre lingue sulla pagina dell'evento del museo automobilistico "Autoworld".

Some forty models will be on show on the mezzanine of the museum’s 1st floor to recall the ”success-story” of a truly mythical car. The Alpine’s road-going, rally and racing versions will be brought together on loan from various collectors and with the collaboration of among others Jean-Charles Rédélé, son of the constructor Jean Rédélé (1922-2007), Hervé Charbonneaux, Renault Belgium, Renault Heritage and several Alpine clubs. Visitors will have the chance to admire all the various models that brought glory to the make with the standard A106, A108, A110, A310, and A610 models, as also the A110 rally and racing versions, not forgetting a few racing models that competed at Le Mans and in single-seater competions.

Alpine in a nutshell

In June 1955, the driver Jean Rédélé, also a Renault concessionaire in Dieppe, set up the “Société des Automobiles Alpine" and presented the first Alpine to the media and the general public. The car was built with components emanating from the Renault 4CV and fitted with a fibreglass bodywork. It is the A106 – with an “A” for Alpine and the number 106 as reference to the code name of the 4CV, from which numerous components were called upon.

The cabriolet version of the Alpine A106 was designed by the Italian Giovanni Michelotti and unveiled at the Paris Car Show the following year.

The A110 Berlinette is without fail the most famous Alpine. It was available fitted with various power units (1100–1600 cc). This sporty version is easily identifiable thanks to a restyled rear body to accommodate the new four-cylinder Renault engine giving it a more tapered look. It was produced from 1962 through to 1977, not only in France, but also in Spain and Bulgaria.

What many are unaware of is the fact that the A106 version was also built in Belgium in small numbers (at Herstal in the vicinity of Liège).

In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the French constructor won numerous rallies, claiming the World Rally Championship in 1973. Simultaneously in 1978 the French duo Pironi-Jaussaud were victorious in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the wheel of an A442 powered by a V6 turbo engine.

A brilliant record of achievements with such victories as at the Monte-Carlo, the Acropolis, the Tour of Corsica and the Marathon de la Route on the Nürburgring. All these thanks to such exceptional divers as Ove Andersson, Gérard Larousse, Bernard Darniche, Jean-Claude Andruet to name but a few!

The Alpine production came to an end in 1995. It goes without saying that the automotive world is impatiently awaiting the arrival of the future Alpine.