Renault Alpine A110

Alpine started life in 1957 - then being a tiny French sports car specialist. The most successful model came in 1963 and was known as the Alpine A110.

This car had a tubular spaceframe chassis and a rear-mounted engine (being provided by local car manufacturer Renault.

The four-pot engine originally displaced 998 cc., but was soon enlarged to 1300 cc in 1969.

But it was when Renault put a modified 1600cc engine borrowed from the R16 that the Alpine became a world beater, taking the first 3 places in Monte Carlo Rally in 1971 and World Rally Championships in 1971 and 1973.

Compared with its main rival, the Porsche 911, the Alpine A110 was a lot lighter because of the compact body that was made of glass-fibre.

Although the engine was less powerful, its nimble handling made it better the 911 in rally races.