Alpine A310

The Alpine A310 is a sports car built by French manufacturer Alpine, from 1971 to 1984.

Alpine A310
Overview
ManufacturerAlpine
Production19711984[1]
DesignerRobert Opron, Michel Beligond, Yves Legal, Trevor Fiore
Body and chassis
ClassSports car
Body style2-door Coupé
LayoutRR layout
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,270 mm (89.4 in)
Length4,180 mm (164.6 in)
Width1,640 mm (64.6 in)
Height1,150 mm (45.3 in)
Chronology
PredecessorAlpine A110
SuccessorRenault Alpine GTA/A610

History

Dieppe-based Alpine, once an independent company specialising in faster Renaults, later a Renault subsidiary, established a fine competition history with the Alpine A110 winning the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally and World Rally Championship. The successor was the Alpine A310, initially powered by tuned 17TS/Gordini four-cylinder engine, still rear-mounted. The maximum power reaches 127 PS (93 kW; 125 hp), thanks to the use of two twin-barrel 45 DCOE Weber carburetors.

Rear view of an early, four-cylinder A310

The first model of the A310, built 1971-1976, was a car with a four-cylinder engine and six headlights. Being larger, heavier, and no more powerful than its predecessor, the A310 was generally considered underpowered.[2] The car was first shown at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. The prototype A310 had louvres across the rear windscreen; these were not carried over to the production model.[3] Early models had a NACA duct mounted near the window atop the left front fender, later four-cylinder cars received two, mounted closer to the front of the car. In 1976, to help flagging sales, the lower-cost A310 SX was presented. This model has a 95 PS (70 kW; 94 hp) version of the Renault 16/17's 1647 cc inline-four and simplified equipment.

The basis of the A310 was a hefty tubular steel backbone chassis, clothed in a fiberglass shell. As for the previous A110 the entire body was molded in a single piece.[4] Like the ill-fated DeLorean, which used the same PRV powertrain, the engine was mounted longitudinally in the rear, driving forward to the wheels through a manual five-speed gearbox. The driving position was low and sporty, although the front wheelwells encroached on the occupants' feet, pointing them towards the centre of the car.[3] The A310 was labor-intensive, having been developed for small-scale artisanal production - a car took 130 hours to build from start to finish.[5] The front axle also came in for some criticism, although in 1974 the balljoint mountings were replaced by rubber/steel bushings (silent-blocs) which somewhat improved durability.[3] While many components of the A310 came from the Renault parts shelf as expected, others are more surprising - the steering rack is from the Peugeot 504, while the turn signals are Simca 1301 units.[6]

A310 V6

Alpine A310 V6 GT

In 1976 the A310 was restyled by Robert Opron and fitted with the more powerful and newly developed 90-degree 2664 cc V6 PRV engine, as used in some Renaults, Volvos and Peugeots. The later V6 received a black plastic rear spoiler as well, useful for keeping the tail planted but somewhat marring the purity of the original's lines. With 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp) on tap, the A310 PRV V6 was Renault's performance flagship capable of 220 km/h (137 mph) and acceptable acceleration. The tail-heavy weight distribution gave handling characteristics similar to the contemporary Porsche 911. Sales did pick up, more than doubling those of the four-cylinder predecessor, but then tapered off as production continued without any updates to make it a serious Porsche competitor in the marketplace. Sales were predominantly in France, with 781 cars sold in its home market in 1979 (its best year). By 1984 less than five hundred Alpines were sold in France, while Porsche sold about 1600 in spite of industrial strikes in Germany.[7]

Beginning with model year 1981 (in late 1980), the rear suspension was shared with the mid-engined Renault 5 Turbo. Rather than the previous three-lug wheels, the A310 also received the alloys used for the 5 Turbo, albeit without the painted elements.[8]

Alpine A310 V6 (1976-1980, rear)

In the later models (1983-1984) of the A310 a "Pack GT" which was inspired from the Group 4 A310 racing cars would be developed, it gained wheel arches and larger spoilers front and rear. A few Alpine A310 V6 Pack GT Kit Boulogne were built (27 examples), here the PRV V6 was bored out to 2.9 litres and was then further modified by Alpine, fitted with triple Weber 42DCNF carburetors that pushed power to 193 PS (142 kW; 190 hp).

Competition

The A310 had great success in French motorsport as a Group 4 car. In 1977 Guy Fréquelin (Alpine Renault A 310-V6) won the French Rally championship.

Production

A310 four-cylinderProduction
1971120 units
1972575 units
1973666 units
1974344 units
1975306 units
1976329 units
TOTAL2 340 units
A310 V6Production
1976140 units
19771 220 units
19781 216 units
19791 381 units
19801 138 units
19811 284 units
19821 095 units
19831 139 units
1984663 units
TOTAL9 276 units
1971–1976

A310 1600 Series 1 (55 L fuel tank, 3 stud suspension, four-cylinder engine, 5-speed transmission)

ModelYearsEngineTransmissionPowerAdmissionWeight
VE1971–19731605 cc (R17TS Injection)type 365-10124 PS (91 kW; 122 hp) DIN at 6000 rpmcarburetors - twin 45 DCOE weber840 kg (1,852 lb)
VF1974–19761605 cc (R17TS Injection/Gordini)type 365-10127 PS (93 kW; 125 hp) DIN at 6450 rpmInjection - electronic direct Bosch D-Jetronic825 kg (1,819 lb)
VG19761647 cc (R17 Gordini)type 365-2495 PS (70 kW; 94 hp) DIN at 6000 rpmcarburetors - single weber, double throat 32 Weber DAR7825 kg (1,819 lb)
1977–1984
ModelYearsEngineTransmissionPowerAdmissionWeightFuel capacity
A310 V6 Series 11977–19802664 cc (R30 TS) V6manual transmission 4-speed (type 367-05)
5-speed (type 369-02)
150 PS (110 kW) DIN
at 6000 rpm
1 carburetor single throat Solex 34 TBIA and 1 carburetor double throat Solex 35 CEEI
3 stud R30 inspired suspension.
980 kg (2,161 lb)62 L
A310 V6 Series 21981–19852664 cc (R30 TS) V6manual transmission 5-speed (type 369-02)1 carburetor single throat Solex 34 TBIA and 1 carburetor double throat Solex 35 CEEI.
4 stud R5 Turbo inspired suspension, restyled exterior, new bumpers
980 kg (2,161 lb)
A310 V6 "Pack GT"1982–19852664 cc (R30 TS) V6manual transmission 5-speed (type 369-02)1 carburetor single throat Solex 34 TBIA and 1 carburetor double throat Solex 35 CEEI.
4 stud R5 Turbo inspired suspension, flared arches, aerodynamic kit, larger wheels etc.
980 kg (2,161 lb)
A310 V6 "Pack GT Boulogne"1982–19852849 cc (PRV) V6manual transmission 5-speed (type 369-02)193 PS (142 kW) DIN
at 6000 rpm
2 carburetor triple throat vertical Weber 46 IDA.
4 stud R5 Turbo inspired suspension, flared arches, aerodynamic kit, larger wheels, etc

Production numbers

ModelyearEngineModelFromTo
19714-cylinder twin-carb1600 VE0010010
19724-cylinder twin-carb1600 VE00110550
19734-cylinder twin-carb1600 VE05511200
19744-cylinder injection1600 VF2118521750
19754-cylinder injection1600 VF2175122016
19764-cylinder injection1600 VF2201722137
19764-cylinder single carb1600 VG4000040386
1977V62700 VA4301543795
1978V62700 VA4379645089
1979V62700 VA4509046355
V6 GR IV
1980V62700 VA4635647683
1981V62700 VA4771048847
1982V62700 VA4884849960
1983V62700 VA4996152093
V6 GT2700 VAA
1984V62700 VA  E0000001E0001781
V6 GT2700 VAA
1985V62700 VAF0000324F0001874
V6 GT2700 VAA

References

  1. Barbaza, Pierre (April 1985). "L'usine Alpine: renaissance ou révolution?" [The Alpine works: renaissance or revolution?]. Echappement (in French). Paris, France: Michael Hommell (198): 86.
  2. Beyl, Tobias (July 2017). "12 bezahlbare Sportwagen" [12 affordable sports cars]. Motor Klassik (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motor Presse Stuttgart. p. 22. ISSN 0177-8862.
  3. Barbaza, Pierre (April 1985). "Antimémoires: Alpine A310 1600 - L'héritière" [Anti-memoir: The heir]. Echappement (in French). Paris, France: Michael Hommell (198): 94.
  4. Barbaza (L'usine), p. 88
  5. Barbaza (L'usine), p. 89
  6. Barbaza (Antimémoires), p. 95
  7. Cornaert, Jean-Jacques (1985-01-24). "La renaissance" [The rebirth]. Le Moniteur de l'Automobile (in French). Brussels, Belgium: Editions Auto-Magazine. 36 (813): 13.
  8. Costa, André & Georges-Michel Fraichard, ed. (September 1981). "none". Salon 1981: Toutes les Voitures du Monde. l'Auto Journal (in French). Paris: Homme N°1 (14 & 15): 119.

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