Our Icons

IN 1955 - ALPINE'S FOUNDING YEAR - THREE A106S WERE PAINTED IN THE BLUE, WHITE AND RED OF THE FRENCH TRICOLOURS TO MARK THE DEBUT OF OUR FIRST PRODUCTION MODEL. BOOSTED 4CV MECHANICALS WITH THE BENEFITS OF A SLENDER NEW GLASSFIBRE BODY AND EXOTIC FIVE-SPEED GEARBOX, IT TOOK THE MOTORSPORT WORLD BY STORM AND A MORE POTENT A106 MILLE MIGLIA EDITION FOLLOWED.

THREE YEARS LATER, THE A108 ARRIVED AS A GLAMOUROUS BERLINETTE AND CABRIOLET WITH A MORE POWERFUL ENGINE, NAMELY OUR FIRST CRAFTED BY THE GENIUS HANDS OF AMÉDÉE GORDINI - A MAN NICKNAMED 'THE MECHANICAL WIZARD' THANKS TO HIS EFFICIENT TUNING SKILLS. THE CAR LINKED ALPINE'S EARLY COACHBUILDING TO ITS MORE MAINSTREAM MANUFACTURING, PAVING THE WAY FOR PRODUCTION OF OUR MOST ICONIC MODEL OF ALL.

THE 1962 PARIS MOTOR SHOW SAW THE TRUE HEART OF ALPINE BEAT FOR THE FIRST TIME AS THE COVERS WERE PULLED FROM OUR BEAUTIFUL NEW A110 BERLINETTE. AN EVOLUTION OF THE A108, IT'S LARGER GLASS AND IMPROVED COMPONENTS SHOWCASED OUR INCREASING ENGINEERING MATURITY. POWER INCREASED ACROSS ITS 14-YEAR LIFE WHILE COMPETITION VERSIONS SCORED ABUNDANT TROPHIES ON THE WORLD'S RALLY STAGES.

ALPINE'S WORLDWIDE APPEAL WAS PROVEN WHEN A108 PRODUCTION WAS LICENSED TO BRAZIL, WHERE THREE DIFFERENT BODY STYLES WERE SOLD BY WILLYS-OVERLAND UNDER THE INTERLAGOS NAME, A REFERENCE TO THE SÃO PAULO RACETRACK. IN TOTAL 822 CARS WERE BUILT BETWEEN 1962 AND '66, TAKING THE ARTISTIC BEAUTY OF EUROPEAN COACHBUILDERS TO A NEW MARKET.

THIS GLOBAL MENTALITY ONLY GREW WITH THE LICENSING OF ALPINE A110 PRODUCTION IN MEXICO UNDER THE DINALPIN BADGE. IN TOTAL 693 CARS WERE SOLD, SPLIT BETWEEN BERLINETTE, COUPE AND CABRIOLET BODY STYLES.

ALPINE REVOLUTIONISED ITS RANGE IN 1971 WITH JAW-DROPPING A310, PUTTING THE SAME REAR-ENGINE LAYOUT OF ITS A110 SIBLING BENEATH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BODY, ONE SKETCHED BY FAMOUS ILLUSTRATOR MARCEL BÉLIGOND. A TRUSTED RENAULT ENGINE WAS ELEVATED BY OUR AGILE EXPERTISE AND STYLING FIT FOR A BABY SUPERCAR. AN EVEN MORE EXCITING V6 VERSION ALLOWED THE CAR TO HIT ITS FULL POTENTIAL - ON RALLY STAGES AND THE ROAD.

WE IMPROVED THE RECIPE IN 1984 WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE ALPINE GTA - A LONGER, WIDER AND MORE AERODYNAMIC RETHINK OF THE ANGULAR A310 THAT PRECEDED IT. PASSENGER ROOM INCREASED AND OUR DIEPPE PRODUCTION PROCESS WAS STREAMLINED TO MAKE THIS A TRULY MODERN SPORTS CAR, ONE WHOSE LIGHTWEIGHT BODY GAVE IT AN EDGE AGAINST MORE TRADITIONAL RIVALS. WE ALSO INTRODUCED A V6 TURBO ENGINE, WHICH STARRED UNDER THE HOOD OF THE ICONIC GTA LE MANS EDITION.

THE CONCEPT EVOLVED AGAIN IN 1991 WITH THE LAUNCH OF OUR A610. WHILE ITS SHAPE ECHOED THE GTA BEFORE IT, THERE WERE IMPROVEMENTS ALL ROUND, ONLY THE WINDOWS CARRIED OVER FROM ITS PREDECESSOR. POWER WAS BOOSTED TO 250HP AND 0-62MPH [0-100KM/H] WAS COMPLETED IN UNDER SIX SECONDS TO MAKE THIS THE QUICKEST ALPINE OF ITS TIME. ONE WHICH ALSO POSSESSED A TRUE 1990S SUPERCAR PARTY PIECE - RETRACTABLE HEADLIGHTS.