1978 Alpine Renault A310

The Alpine A310 was introduced to the public at the 1971 Geneva Auto Show and was meant as a replacement for the A110, though it stayed in production until 1977. The production version of the A310 began in 1972 utilizing the same basic design and chassis as the A110 Berlinette. It borrowed some components from other vehicles such as the rack and pinion steering, five-speed gearbox, and ventilated disc brakes which came from the Renault R12 Gordini. The five-speed gearbox was later replaced with a four-speed Renault R30 unit since it was unable to cope with the engine. The 1978 A310 was powered by a 2.7-liter V6 engine built by Renault in conjunction with Peugeot and Volvo. The 148 horsepower was named RPV, which represented its builders.

The top speed was over 140 mph with zero-to-sixty taking just under seven seconds.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: A3102700VA44492

The 1978 Renault Alpine A310 with chassis number A44492 was offered for sale at the 2006 RM Auction in Monterey, California where it was expected to sell between $35,000-$45,000. It was offered without reserve. The vehicle is outfitted with a V6 engine that produces 148 horsepower. It has four-wheel ventilated disc brakes and rests on an 89.8-inch wheelbase. The odometer reads just 31,000 kilometers since new. In June it was treated to full mechanical service by Renault experts. It is finished in its original French Alpine racing blue paint. At the conclusion of the sale, it had been sold for $27,500.

It was brought back in 2007 to the same auction, this time carrying an estimated value of $35,000 - $45,000. It was offered without reserve, which worked well for the buyer as the lot was sold for $20,900 including the buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

The Alpine A310 was produced from 1971 through 1984. It was first introduced to the public at the Geneva Auto Show and served as a replacement for the A110, though the A110 stayed in production until 1977.

The A310 shared the same angular design as the A110 Berlinette and the same backbone chassis. The rear suspension, however, was different using a double-wishbone unit. Located in the rear was a four-cylinder 1.6-liter Renault engine that produced 125 horsepower. The rack-and-pinion steering and disc brakes were courtesy of the Renault R12 Gordini. The five-speed manual gearbox was also an R12 Gordini unit.

In 1978, a restyling by Robert Opron resulted in a larger engine compartment which meant an Alpine-modified 2.7-Liter V6 RPV engine. The 'RPV' represented the development of the engine by Renault, Peugeot, and Volvo at Douvrin. Power was rated at nearly 150 horsepower. Weighing just 980 kg, the A-310 could race from zero-to-sixty in just 6.9 seconds and hit top speed at 142 miles per hour.

The A310 was used in French Motorsports where it had much success, competing as a Group 4 car.

by Dan Vaughan