INTRODUCTION

The A110 is a true enthusiast's car.  To look at it, you would never guess that it's based on a humble family saloon, and it's just as competent and exciting whether on road, track or rally stage. 

Jean R�d�l� founded Alpine and began his motor racing career building heavily modified and lightened Renaults. The A106 was his first bespoke offering, with rugged Renault 4CV running gear in a lightweight glassfibre body. An upgrade to Dauphine-power produced the A108, with Alpine starting to pick up awards in important competition events.

The A110 stuck with the same formula, initially using Renault 8 running gear to make for a buzzy, agile and thrilling car to drive - and famously taking 1-2-3 finishes on the Monte Carlo rally in 1971-1973. 

MARKET VIEW

Chris Rabbets, owner of Stroud-based Alpine specialist Roadspeed Performance and Servicing, has been looking after all types of Alpine and Renault models since 1984.

'Of the 7500 built, over half were the Renault 12-engined V85. It was the entry level car for a number of years, and offers great value today, with usable to good condition cars ranging from $35,000-$42,000. $60,000 is absolute top money.

'The one everybody lusts after the early swing axle 1600S [pictured]. Top, original cars regularly fetch between $100,000 and 120,000.

'People generally assume that bigger engines are best, but as a driver's car the 1440cc 8 Gordini engine is sublime, and is easily my favourite. It combines about 140bhp with a much more free-revving nature. The five-speed 'box is also one of the most desirable options.'

Strong market values stem from great competition provenance, with genuine rally cars commanding over $160,000. The demand for well-prepared rally cars for events like Tour Auto has pushed up the cost of both French- and Spanish-built road cars. 

The Dieppe-built cars always command a premium, and you can save money by buying a Spanish example. Alpines were also built under licence in Bulgaria, Brazil, Mexico and South America, but it is difficult to locate these in the UK and few people import them.

The A110 is increasingly difficult to buy, due to a very limited supply. Chris: 'France and Germany are still the best places to find Alpines, but I've got customers who've been waiting up to four years for the right car, and they have the money ready.'

 
IN A NUTSHELL

Although glassfibre bodywork has two huge advantages - it's lightweight and impervious to corrosion - it can be the cause of further complications. As with TVRs, electrical problems are common and often difficult to trace. 'Dieppe-built cars have a particularly interesting all-brown wiring loom, with coloured sheaths at each end,' explains Chris, 'but these can fall off - that's when the fun really begins.' 

Glassfibre is generally rugged on road cars and, although panel fit is average at best, you'll rarely find stress fractures or major quality problems. On the other hand, genuine rally cars were often built using much thinner panels, making them easier to damage and more difficult to fix. Older repairs might not be up to scratch.

The body consists of two major mouldings (top and bottom), which are bonded together to form an extremely strong and light bodyshell. If a car has been fully restored, these two sections should have been separated, repaired and then re-bonded correctly. Repair sections are relatively cheap and readily available for most areas.

'It depends on how far you want to go,' comments Chris. 'There are always two extremes, but an A110 is not the simplest car to restore. Glassfibre cars generally get respray after respray, and over the years all that paint builds up and actually spoils the delicate lines of the car. The only way to do the car justice is to strip off all the old paint, repair the glassfibre and start from a clean base.  $12,000-$18,000 is the starting point for a proper body-off restoration.'

Thanks to Alpine's relationship with Renault, much of the running gear is basic and easy to service, although access on the early 1600s is tight.  Renault engines are usually strong and easy to maintain, but the seemingly endless array of different configurations can be somewhat overwhelming. This is further complicated by the number of modified cars with more modern and powerful Renault engines fitted.  

Although the engines are pure Renault, A110 gearboxes are unique. The casings on pre-73 cars feature mounting points for the swing-arm suspension, and until recently were virtually irreplaceable. 'The parts situation is actually better now than ever before, and there are at least ten different outlets I deal with in France and Germany. Everything is being remanufactured and, although not always cheap, parts are plentiful.'

Underpinning the A110 is a stiff backbone chassis, which remained virtually unchanged throughout the career of the car. The main section, which runs from front to back, is actually surprisingly resistant to corrosion, but the front supporting tubes tend to rot quite quickly, so should be thoroughly checked.

Chris is wary of actually replacing the chassis if you can avoid it. 'Chassis replacement is possible, and new chassis sections can be bought off-the-shelf, but it really opens up a whole can of worms. The original is often repairable, even in the event of a crash, and you should carefully weigh up the cost.'

The rest of the suspension is basic Renault 8, with wishbones and coil springs at the front and swing arms at the rear.  The rear suspension was subsequently changed to the newer Alpine A310's double-wishbone set-up. 'Mechanical rebuilds are not expensive. All the components are cheap and simple,' says Chris.

Much of the interior is bespoke, and with different suppliers over the years it can be difficult to work out what is original or not. The seats are unique to the A110 and, although leather was an option, most will be the standard cloth or vinyl. The rest of the interior is trimmed in a distinctive diamond-stitched foam-backed vinyl, which covers the central tunnel, rear compartment and inner sills. It's relatively hard-wearing but, if it needs to be replaced, can be recreated by any competent trimmer. Most switches, handles and lamp units were taken from the French car industry parts bin, so many spares are even cheaper than you might expect.
  
CONCLUSION

The A110 celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and, whether you want an all-out rally car or just a capable sports car, the A110 is a less obvious alternative to a 911. They ooze French charm and character. 

Values have risen strongly in the past 15 years. Finding one is tough but excellent parts supply from the Continent ensures that the remaining Alpines are well served.