Alpine A310

The Alpine A310 is a sports car built by French manufacturer Alpine, from 1971 to 1985.

Alpine A310
Overview
Manufacturer	Alpine
Production	1971–1985[1]
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door Coupé
Layout	RR layout
Powertrain
Engine	1605 cc A2L/A3L I4 (1600 VE/VF) 1647 cc A6M I4 (1600 VG) 2664 cc PRV V6
Transmission	5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	227 cm (89 in)
Length	418 cm (165 in)
Width	164 cm (65 in)
Height	115 cm (45 in)
Chronology
Predecessor	Alpine A110
Successor	Renault 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 bits 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

Front view of Alpine A310 V6 (1976-1980)

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

1977 - French Rally Championship
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.

Production

A310 four-cylinder	Production
1971	120 units
1972	575 units
1973	666 units
1974	344 units
1975	306 units
1976	329 units
TOTAL	2 340 units

A310 V6	Production
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 Series 1 (55 L fuel tank, 3 stud suspension, four-cylinder engine, 5-speed transmission)

Model	Years	Engine	Transmission	Power	Admission	Weight
VE	1971–1973	1605 cc (R17TS Injection)	type 365-10	124 PS (91 kW; 122 hp) DIN at 6000 rpm	carburetors - twin 45 DCOE weber	840 kg (1,852 lb)
VF	1974–1976	1605 cc (R17TS Injection/Gordini)	type 365-10	127 PS (93 kW; 125 hp) DIN at 6450 rpm	Injection - electronic direct Bosch D-Jetronic	825 kg (1,819 lb)
VG	1976	1647 cc (R17 Gordini)	type 365-24	95 PS (70 kW; 94 hp) DIN at 6000 rpm	carburetors - single weber, double throat 32 Weber DAR7	825 kg (1,819 lb)

1977–1985

Model	Years	Engine	Transmission	Power	Admission	Weight	Fuel capacity
A310 V6 Series 1	1977–1980	2664 cc (R30 TS) V6	manual 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 2	1981–1985	2664 cc (R30 TS) V6	manual 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"	1982–1985	2664 cc (R30 TS) V6	manual 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"	1982–1985	2849 cc (PRV) V6	manual 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

Modelyear	Engine	Model	From	To
1971	4-cylinder twin-carb	1600 VE	001	0010
1972	4-cylinder twin-carb	1600 VE	0011	0550
1973	4-cylinder twin-carb	1600 VE	0551	1200
1974	4-cylinder injection	1600 VF	21185	21750
1975	4-cylinder injection	1600 VF	21751	22016
1976	4-cylinder injection	1600 VF	22017	22137
1976	4-cylinder single carb	1600 VG	40000	40386
1977	V6	2700 VA	43015	43795
1978	V6	2700 VA	43796	45089
1979	V6	2700 VA	45090	46355
	V6 GR IV
1980	V6	2700 VA	46356	47683
1981	V6	2700 VA	47710	48847
1982	V6	2700 VA	48848	49960
1983	V6	2700 VA	49961	52093
	V6 GT	2700 VAA
1984	V6	2700 VA	E0000001	E0001781
	V6 GT	2700 VAA
1985	V6	2700 VA	F0000324	F0001874
	V6 GT	2700 VAA

Country identification

100	France
101	Belgium
102	Italy
103	The Netherlands
120	Germany
123	Switzerland
267	Spain
203	Mexico
267	Portugal

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.

External links

Media related to Renault Alpine A310 at Wikimedia Commons