Can you say Alpine? Renault and Caterham to jointly make sports cars

JimCorrigan

JimCorrigan

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Top Gear.com said:
Our ears are still ringing from the time we got up close and a little too personal with Renault's shouty, gorgeous A110-50 concept in Monaco (above), but news today is the company has formed a partnership with Caterham to build sportscars.

Two, to be precise, each coming your way in the next three to four years, and each carrying the respective brands' ?DNA'. For Renault, that brand is Alpine; the iconic French firm that used Renault engines to power its cars to motorsports victory. It won the world rally championship in 1973, took victory at the Monte Carlo rally in ?73 and '74, and won the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1978.

Both cars will be produced at the Alpine factory in Dieppe; a factory that has both historical significance (it was built in 1969 as the home of the Alpine brand), and because of its core business of building sportscars (and also the home of Renaultsport). It means Caterham takes a 50 per cent stake in the ?Automobiles Alpine Renault' company, which will be renamed ?Alpine Caterham', and headed up by a chap named Bernard Ollivier, himself a former manager of Renaultsport technologies.

Neither Renault or Caterham has confirmed exactly what kind of sportscar they'd build, but from Renault's side, we can at least expect something a toned-down version of the aforementioned ear-busting A110-50 concept pictured above, itself built in tribute to 50 years since the A110 - the most iconic Alpine ever built - first went on sale.

In Paris today, Renault boss Carlos Tavares said the Alpine model will cost "between 40,000 and 50,000 Euros", about ?35,000.

When we saw that concept in Monaco, Renault sources hinted that should a road-going version ever see the light of day, it'd probably wear a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine rather than the concept's 400bhp, mid-mounted V6. Also, it'd probably be a lot quieter too. You can decide whether that's a good or bad thing.

But, as Renault design chief Laurens van der Acker told TG at the time: "Alpine is owned by everyone who loves cars... so I know I can't screw this one up."

We'll bring you more as soon as we find out, but for now, why not have a stab at imagining what the Alpine Caterham cars would look like below...
Click to expand...
 
And, as North Americans, BC, exactly what does this mean for us? Is Renault still in Canada?

I dunno about this one. I trust Caterham to a certain extent, but slapping the Alpine name on to this...well, it has a whiff of the last two generations of Thunderbirds about it, if you know what I mean. Checks written, but the bank went bust.
 
The Spie said:
And, as North Americans, BC, exactly what does this mean for us? Is Renault still in Canada?

I dunno about this one. I trust Caterham to a certain extent, but slapping the Alpine name on to this...well, it has a whiff of the last two generations of Thunderbirds about it, if you know what I mean. Checks written, but the bank went bust.
Click to expand...
No, Renault has been long gone from the Canadian market... pretty sure they left the Great White North around the same time as they left you lot. Not that that matters... we're a global community of slobbering car nuts. Alpines are a fondly remembered car, and let's be honest, the "remake" in the photos is gorgeous. If they do build one, and Caterham's handling the dynamics, this thing has the potential to be spectacular.
 
?35k is good used Boxster/Cayman/Z4 money.

The trouble with anyone wanting to enter the sports car market is that at the lower end people want value for money and reliability so they buy an MX5 or a Toybaru. In the mid-range they want something German or traditional British and at the top end something Italian. Low volume track specials will always sell to enthusiasts but cracking the volume market will always be hard.

Much as I like this I did I am afraid I have to predict tragic fail.
 
French and British engineering and electrics, hmmmm.

So it will be upside down and on fire in other places besides France, then. :p
 
I like it. I am in the US so I will never see it though. Hope it won't be a fail.
 
Looks mean. Do want one.
 
Sweeeet!
 
laxmax613 said:
i has a sad.
Click to expand...

It might be better this way, cars will be less closely related and they suggest the Caterham maybe available sooner
 
British and French anything usually is very stressful - Concorde was probably much more expensive than it needed to be because of the co-operation, but let us be frank was bloody marvellous in the end. (NB, except the stupid last e on the name of course).
 
I still predict Le Fail. It's still asking people to part with champagne money for a lemonade brand.

Last time we had an Alpine for sale new in the UK it was better, faster and half the price of a Porsche 928. The motoring press raved about it and in 1993 how many did Renault sell in the UK? Four.

I still wanted one though. Still do.

Alpine_A610.jpeg
 
Please be weird, please be weird, please be weird.
 
MWF said:
I still predict Le Fail. It's still asking people to part with champagne money for a lemonade brand.

Last time we had an Alpine for sale new in the UK it was better, faster and half the price of a Porsche 928. The motoring press raved about it and in 1993 how many did Renault sell in the UK? Four.

I still wanted one though. Still do.

Alpine_A610.jpeg
Click to expand...

Seemed to also have the 928 front indicators too.
Cannot unsee now.
(But yes, agree, I want one.)
 
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