1979 Alpine Renault A310

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.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2006