Alpine A310
Encyclopedia
The Alpine A310 was a sports car
built by French
manufacturer Alpine
, from 1971 to 1984.
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 reaching 127 PS, thanks to the use of 2 twin-barrel 45 DCOE Weber carburetor
s.
In 1976 the A310 was restyled by Robert Opron
and fitted with the more powerful and newly developed 90-degree 2700 cc V6 PRV engine
. As used in up-range Renault
s, Volvo
s and Peugeot
s this lifted the car into the lower echelons of the sports car league, where the Porsche
was a dominant player.
The basis of the A310 was a hefty tubular steel backbone chassis
, clothed in a tough fiberglass
shell. Like the ill-fated De Lorean DMC-12
, which used the same PRV powertrain
, the engine was mounted longitudinally in the rear, driving forward to the wheels through a manual 5-speed gearbox. With 149 bhp on tap, the A310 PRV V6 was Renault's performance flagship capable of 220 km/h (137 mph) and neck straining acceleration. Despite the tail-heavy weight distribution (like Porsche 911
), handling was safe and rewarding.
In the later Models of the A310 a "GTPack" which was inspired from the Group4 A310 racing cars would be developed, it gain wheel arches, larger spoilers front and rear, the V6 was bored out to a 2.9 L motor was modified by Alpine, fitted with 3x Weber
42DCNF carburetors that pushed power to 193 hp.
The A310 had great success in French motorsport
as a Group 4
car. In 1977 Guy Frequelin (Alpine Renault A 310-V6) won the French Rally championship.
>
A310 1600 VE | Series 1
1971–1974 : 1605 cc (R17TS Injection) 4-cylinder | 5-speed (type 365-10)
Power 125 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | carburetors - twin 45 DCOE weber
3 stud suspension. | Weight 840 kg (1,852 lb). | Fuel Tank 55 L.
A310 1600 VF | Series 1
1973–1976 : 1605 cc (R17TS Injection/Gordini) 4-cylinder | 5-speed (type 365-10)
Power 127 hp. DIN à 6450 tr/min | Injection - electronic direct Bosch D-Jetronic
3 stud suspension. | Weight 840 kg (1,852 lb). | Fuel Tank 55 L.
A310 1600 VG | Series 1
1975–1976 : 1647 cc (R17 Gordini) 4-cylinder | 5-speed (type 365-24)
Power 95 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | carburetors - single weber, double throat 32 Weber DAR7
3 stud suspension. | Weight 825 kg (1,819 lb). | Fuel Tank 55 L.
A310 V6 | Series 1
1977–1980 : 2664 cc (R 30 TS) V6 | manual transmission 4-speed (type 367-05) > 5-speed (type 369-02)
Power 150 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | 1 carburetor single throat Solex 34 TBIA and 1 carburetor double throat Solex 35 CEEI
3 stud R30 inspired suspension. | Weight 980 kg (2,161 lb). | Fuel Tank 62 L.
A310 V6 | Series 2
1981–1985 : 2664 cc (R 30 TS) V6 | manual transmission 5-speed (type 369-02)
Power 150 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | 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 | Weight 980 kg (2,161 lb). | Fuel Tank 62 L.
A310 V6 "Pack GT"
1982–1985 : 2664 cc (R 30 TS) V6 | manual transmission 5-speed (type 369-02)
Power 150 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | 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. | Weight 980 kg (2,161 lb). | Fuel Tank 62 L.
A310 V6 "Pack GT Boulogne"
1982–1985 : 2849 cc (Volvo) V6 | manual transmission 5-speed (type 369-02)
Power 193 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | 2 carburetor triple throat vertical Weber 46 IDA.
4 stud R5 Turbo inspired suspension, flared arches, aerodynamic kit, larger wheels, etc.
101 Belgique
102 Italy
103 Nederland
120 Germany
123 Switzerland
267 Spain
203 Mexique
267 Portugal
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
built by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
manufacturer Alpine
Alpine (car)
Alpine was a French manufacturer of racing and sports cars that used rear-mounted Renault engines.Jean Rédélé , the founder of Alpine, was originally a Dieppe garage proprietor, who began to achieve considerable competition success in one of the few French cars produced just after World War...
, from 1971 to 1984.
Dieppe
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
-based Alpine
Alpine (car)
Alpine was a French manufacturer of racing and sports cars that used rear-mounted Renault engines.Jean Rédélé , the founder of Alpine, was originally a Dieppe garage proprietor, who began to achieve considerable competition success in one of the few French cars produced just after World War...
, once an independent company specialising in faster Renaults, later a Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
subsidiary, established a fine competition history with the Alpine A110
Alpine A110
The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
winning the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
and World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
. The successor was the Alpine A310, initially powered by tuned 17TS/Gordini four-cylinder engine, still rear-mounted. The maximum power reaching 127 PS, thanks to the use of 2 twin-barrel 45 DCOE Weber carburetor
Weber carburetor
Weber is an Italian company producing carburetors, currently owned by Magneti Marelli Powertrain S.p.A., in turn part of the Fiat Group.The company was established as...
s.
In 1976 the A310 was restyled by Robert Opron
Robert Opron
Robert Opron is a French automotive designer, trained as an architect, and noted for designs from the 1960s through the 1980s for Simca, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Ligier, Renault and Citroën – which he joined in 1962 and where he became Responsable de Style, head of the design department.Opron was a...
and fitted with the more powerful and newly developed 90-degree 2700 cc V6 PRV engine
PRV engine
The PRV engine is an automobile petrol V6 engine that was developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo Cars – and sold from 1974 to 1998. It was gradually replaced after 1994 by another joint PSA-Renault design, known as the ES engine at PSA and the L engine at Renault.-Corporate history:The...
. As used in up-range Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
s, Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
s and Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
s this lifted the car into the lower echelons of the sports car league, where the Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
was a dominant player.
The basis of the A310 was a hefty tubular steel backbone chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
, clothed in a tough fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
shell. Like the ill-fated De Lorean DMC-12
De Lorean DMC-12
The DeLorean DMC-12 is a sports car originally manufactured in Dunmurry, a suburb west of Belfast, Northern Ireland by John DeLorean's DeLorean Motor Company for the American market in 1981-82. Most commonly known as the DeLorean, it was the only model produced by the company which would go into...
, which used the same PRV powertrain
PRV engine
The PRV engine is an automobile petrol V6 engine that was developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo Cars – and sold from 1974 to 1998. It was gradually replaced after 1994 by another joint PSA-Renault design, known as the ES engine at PSA and the L engine at Renault.-Corporate history:The...
, the engine was mounted longitudinally in the rear, driving forward to the wheels through a manual 5-speed gearbox. With 149 bhp on tap, the A310 PRV V6 was Renault's performance flagship capable of 220 km/h (137 mph) and neck straining acceleration. Despite the tail-heavy weight distribution (like Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
), handling was safe and rewarding.
In the later Models of the A310 a "GTPack" which was inspired from the Group4 A310 racing cars would be developed, it gain wheel arches, larger spoilers front and rear, the V6 was bored out to a 2.9 L motor was modified by Alpine, fitted with 3x Weber
Weber carburetor
Weber is an Italian company producing carburetors, currently owned by Magneti Marelli Powertrain S.p.A., in turn part of the Fiat Group.The company was established as...
42DCNF carburetors that pushed power to 193 hp.
Competition
1977 - French Rally ChampionshipThe A310 had great success in French motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
as a Group 4
Group 4 (racing)
The Group 4 racing class referred to regulations for cars in sportscar racing, GT racing and rallying, as regulated by the FIA. The Group 4 class was replaced by Group B for the 1983 season.-Production requirements:...
car. In 1977 Guy Frequelin (Alpine Renault A 310-V6) won the French Rally championship.
Production
| A310 4 CYL. |
| 1971 : 120 units |
| 1972 : 575 units |
| 1973 : 666 units |
| 1974 : 344 units |
| 1975 : 306 units |
| 1976 : 329 units |
| TOTAL : 2 340 units |
| A310 V6 |
| 1976 : 140 units |
| 1977 : 1 220 units |
| 1978 : 1 216 units |
| 1979 : 1 381 units |
| 1980 : 1 138 units |
| 1981 : 1 284 units |
| 1982 : 1 095 units |
| 1983 : 1 139 units |
| 1984 : 663 units |
| TOTAL : 9 276 units |
1971–1976
A310 1600 VE | Series 1
1971–1974 : 1605 cc (R17TS Injection) 4-cylinder | 5-speed (type 365-10)
Power 125 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | carburetors - twin 45 DCOE weber
3 stud suspension. | Weight 840 kg (1,852 lb). | Fuel Tank 55 L.
A310 1600 VF | Series 1
1973–1976 : 1605 cc (R17TS Injection/Gordini) 4-cylinder | 5-speed (type 365-10)
Power 127 hp. DIN à 6450 tr/min | Injection - electronic direct Bosch D-Jetronic
3 stud suspension. | Weight 840 kg (1,852 lb). | Fuel Tank 55 L.
A310 1600 VG | Series 1
1975–1976 : 1647 cc (R17 Gordini) 4-cylinder | 5-speed (type 365-24)
Power 95 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | carburetors - single weber, double throat 32 Weber DAR7
3 stud suspension. | Weight 825 kg (1,819 lb). | Fuel Tank 55 L.
1977–1985
A310 V6 | Series 1
1977–1980 : 2664 cc (R 30 TS) V6 | manual transmission 4-speed (type 367-05) > 5-speed (type 369-02)
Power 150 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | 1 carburetor single throat Solex 34 TBIA and 1 carburetor double throat Solex 35 CEEI
3 stud R30 inspired suspension. | Weight 980 kg (2,161 lb). | Fuel Tank 62 L.
A310 V6 | Series 2
1981–1985 : 2664 cc (R 30 TS) V6 | manual transmission 5-speed (type 369-02)
Power 150 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | 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 | Weight 980 kg (2,161 lb). | Fuel Tank 62 L.
A310 V6 "Pack GT"
1982–1985 : 2664 cc (R 30 TS) V6 | manual transmission 5-speed (type 369-02)
Power 150 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | 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. | Weight 980 kg (2,161 lb). | Fuel Tank 62 L.
A310 V6 "Pack GT Boulogne"
1982–1985 : 2849 cc (Volvo) V6 | manual transmission 5-speed (type 369-02)
Power 193 hp. DIN à 6000 tr/min | 2 carburetor triple throat vertical Weber 46 IDA.
4 stud R5 Turbo inspired suspension, flared arches, aerodynamic kit, larger wheels, etc.
Production numbers
| 1971 | 4-cylinder carburetors | 1600 VE | 001 | to | 0010 |
| 1972 | 4-cylinder carburetors | 1600 VE | 0011 | to | 0550 |
| 1973 | 4-cylinder carburetors | 1600 VE | 0551 | to | 1200 |
| 1974 | 4-cylinder injection | 1600 VF | 21185 | to | 21750 |
| 1975 | 4-cylinder injection | 1600 VF | 21751 | to | 22016 |
| 1976 | 4-cylinder injection | 1600 VF | 22017 | to | 22137 |
| 1976 | 4-cylinder simply carb | 1600 VG | 40000 | to | 40386 |
| 1977 | V6 | 2700 VA | 43015 | to | 43795 |
| 1978 | V6 | 2700 VA | 43796 | to | 45089 |
| 1979 | V6 | 2700 VA | |||
| 1979 | V6 GR IV | 2700 VA | 45090 | to | 46355 |
| 1980 | V6 | 2700 VA | 46356 | to | 47683 |
| 1981 | V6 | 2700 VA | 47710 | to | 48847 |
| 1982 | V6 | 2700 VA | 48848 | to | 49960 |
| 1983 | V6 | 2700 VA | |||
| 1983 | V6 GT | 2700 VAA | 49961 | to | 52093 |
| 1984 | V6 | 2700 VA | |||
| 1984 | V6 GT | 2700 VAA | E0000001 | to | E0001781 |
| 1985 | V6 | 2700 VA | |||
| 1985 | V6 GT | 2700 VAA | F0000324 | to | F0001874 |
Country identification
100 France101 Belgique
102 Italy
103 Nederland
120 Germany
123 Switzerland
267 Spain
203 Mexique
267 Portugal
External links
- Renault Alpine history website, has A310 forum etc - France
- Alpine website, has A310 history - France
- Alpine A310 history, pictures - France
- A310 Restoration - France
- Alpine A310 Club - Braford A. Stevens - United States of America
- Alpine A310 (David Bishop) - United Kingdom
- A310 Yahoo owners blog - Japan
- Gordini-Alpine-A310 - Japan