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2012 Renault Alpine A110-50 ConceptPlans to revive the Alpine name have gone back and forth like a tennis match for years, but Renault may finally be giving the project a green light, for a concept version at least. A few days ago, we reported that the first concept version for the Alpine line would be unveiled at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix, and now the Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept has made its official debut. The Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept was named as such because it pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Alpine A110. Its exterior design was inspired by the Renault DeZir concept unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and its technical side was borrowed from the Renault Megane Trophy, meaning we will see a V6 engine with an impressive output of 400 HP and 315 lb-ft. of torque. The original Alpine A110 debuted in 1961 and lasted through the 1977 model year. It had a rather Porsche-like design and had a number of engines ranging from a 66-horsepower 1,108 cc engine to an impressive 140-horsepower 1,605 cc engine. If the Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept sees the light of production day, we’re guessing it will be sometime in 2014. UPDATE 06/29/12: Renault has unveiled a cool promotional video featuring the new Alpine A110-50 Concept next to its ancestor, the legendary A110 Alpine. In this video, the concept was driven by former rally driver for Renault Jean Ragnotti. Enjoy! UPDATE 09/26/12: Is the Renaul Alpine A110-50 Concept closer to production? Well, Renault COO Carlos Tavares seems to think so after recently revealing that the company is close to inking a deal with another automaker to jointly build the model. That’s tremendous news to us, and if we’re going to take a stab at it, could this "unnamed automaker" be Renault’s automotive partner, Nissan? Hit the jump for more details on the Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept. Full story Report: Renault Alpine successor to debut at 2012 Monaco Grand Prix  We brought you news about the possibility of Renault reviving the Alpine name and producing a brand new concept based around the original car just a couple of weeks ago, and already more details about this possible, yet-to-be-confirmed car have surfaced. Originally, Renault was rumored to have stated that a successor to the legendary Alpine A110 would debut at the 2012 Paris Auto Show in late September, but according to Autoblog.nl, the new car could be debuting much sooner at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix late this month. This wouldn’t be the only new car said to debut at the event, as reports have also suggested that McLaren will unveil the McLaren F1 successor in a private display during the festivities. If this turns out to be true, then debuting the car at the Monaco Grand Prix could be a great move on Renault’s part, as it’s not only an integral part of Formula One and one of its key engine suppliers, but the media buzz around the famous race will help the French company get some recognition for reviving this legend. The car in question will only be a concept version, and is rumored to be dubbed the ‘ZAR,’ although we’re somewhat doubtful that the ZAR name would make it to production. It seems a return to ‘Alpine’ would be preferable. Autoblog.nl has also revealed that the new Renault sports car may be completely electric and help lead the sports car market into more efficient territory. However, if Renault does decide to create an electric Alpine for the 2014 or 2015 model years, it’s likely it would also offer the car with a conventional internal combustion engine if it really is a tribute to the original. It’s yet to be confirmed if the Monaco display will be conducted in private or not, but if it is, expect a few shots to leak onto the net in the days following the event.
2015 Renault Alpine With sister company Nissan digging into the depths of its history to revive the old Datsun nameplate, Renault felt a little out in the cold. Well, the constructeur automobile Français, err, French automaker has decided yet again to revive its long lost sports car, the Alpine A110, sort of. Renault has announced that a 50th anniversary Alpine A110 model will make an appearance at the 2012 Paris Motor Show (Mondial de l’Automobile 2012), which opens on September 29th and runs through October 14th. Keep in mind, Renault once explored this topic before, but axed it in 2009. The original Alpine A110 debuted in 1961 and lasted through the 1977 model year. It had a rather Porsche-like design and had a number of engines ranging from a 66-horsepower 1,108 cc engine to an impressive 140-horsepower 1,605 cc engine. There is no word as of yet what engine this retro revival will feature, nor what it will look like. Chances are, however, it will be very similar to the original. Given the fact that Renault also owns a large portion of Nissan, this tribute car will likely bear a few Nissan components. An actual production model is unlikely, as Renault already features a compact sports car, the Wind, and having two similar cars in an already massive lineup could be harmful. Then there’s the fact that Renault-Nissan’s marketing head said “...for an Alpine to make sense financially, it would have to sell in North America and China.” We haven’t seen a Renault in the U.S. since 1989, so it’s a real stretch for it to ever see production. There have been rumors afloat that the Alpine would be based off of the Nissan GT-R, but that would be a far different car than the original, which defeats the purpose of a tribute car. Ultimately, Renault left us pretty much empty handed on details, so we all just have to wait patiently until September. Unless Renault decides to play nice and give us at least a glimpse. UPDATE 07/01/2012: According to comments made by Renault chief of design, Laurens van den Acker, the French automaker is trying to develop a car that is more similar to the A110Berlinette from the `60s and `70s and that it is trying to do with Alpine what BMW has done with MINI. Now, before you go getting all excited about seeing a production model of the A110 concept, you can scratch that, as Renault wanting a design similar to the `60s and `70s Alpine A110 nixes that possibility. To add some validity to the reports, Jean-Pascal Dauce, Renault’s motorsports department head, was reported saying that they anticipate producing 5,000 to 10,000 Alpines per year. Rumors also point to this limited lineup of sports cars running between €35,000 and €40,000 ($44,000 to $50,000), which makes them relatively attainable. The final tidbit of info leaked is that Renault is anticipating its release to occur sometime in 2015. Unfortunately, there is no information on whether the new Alpine lineup will be available in the U.S. or not. We are certainly hoping that it does, given what we have seen from the A110 concept. Reborn Renault Alpine could be based on the Nissan GT-R; debut expected to be in Paris Two interesting developments surrounding the expected revival of the Renault Alpine: First, it appears to be headed to the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Second, and more importantly, the car could very well end up being based on the Nissan GT-R. Talking to UK website Headline Auto, Renault Marketing Director Stephen Norman said that the new Alpine will be made as a lightweight sports car that puts the emphasis on top-class performance and "made to the highest specification." Moreover, Norman has admitted that the French automaker is looking at tapping into their partnership with Nissan to look for and use existing parts from Nissan. The only catch with going that route is the expected cost that would go with such an ambitious project. On that end, Renault might still end up seeking third-party partners to help in the development of the new Alpine. "We can’t lift things from the parts bin, we have to make a business case for it and we have not yet done that," Norman said. Despite no confirmations on that matter, CarAdvice has speculated that Renault might be eyeing Nissan’s mighty supercar, the GT-R, as a possible peg for the new Alpine. If this new piece of information proves to be correct, then you can expect the buzz surrounding the return of the Renault Alpine to hit fever pitch when it’s expected to be unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show this September. New Lancia Stratos officially dead; Renault Alpine could be reborn Now we can officially put all the talk to rest. The New Lancia Stratos, a one-off supercar that was built and designed by Pininfarina as a tribute vehicle to the legendary car of the 70’s, will remain a one-off. And we have Ferrari to thank - or blame - for that. After the immense popularity generated by the New Stratos when it was unveiled a year ago, there was talk that Pininfarina was looking into building a limited run of the supercar for interested customers. But since the project hinged on Ferrari allowing the company to use the 430 Scuderia as the car’s platform, they had to receive the green light from the Italian automaker to proceed with the program. Unfortunately, those folks from Ferrari have refused to allow a limited production run of the New Stratos with Ferrari CEO Dr. Amadeo Felisa seemingly content with the one-off project that was built for Michael Stoschek. We’re pretty disappointed to see the Stratos’ renaissance end even before it actually began, but if there’s a silver lining in all of this, it’s that instead of the New Stratos, Koscheck and his people have set their sights on building a modern version of another old-time classic: the Renault Alpine A110 Berlinette. Talks with the French automaker are already in progress so we’re crossing our fingers that the Alpine will come back to our lives the way the New Stratos should have. New Renderings Of The Renault Alpine DeZir
After reading the title you might be wondering why should you care about a car that you can’t even buy in the United States. The answer is simple really, because you never know when Renault will return to our shores and, if they do, the new Alpine might lead their charge. Even if this car doesn’t make it to America, it sure is special. The Alpine has a special place in the company’s history. It was produced between 1986 and 1991 and it was the first car launched under Renault ownership of the Alpine company. In 1991, a new Alpine, the A610, was produced until 1995. Both of these machines were not sales successes, despite their great looks. The A610 was loved by the motoring press and it even got the approval of Top Gear, but all the accolades in the world couldn’t save it. Renault, despite their poor sales success, is hoping to bring the Alpine sports car back. The car might make an appearance at the Paris Auto Show, but those are only rumors at this point. According to Auto, Motor, und Sport, the production version of the Alpine could be in showrooms around 2012. It will likely be called the DeZir and it could be a less extreme replacement of the Renault Spider. Renault cancels plans to revive the Alpine brand
The name Alpine is close to the hearts of many French car enthusiasts. The Renault-owned manufacturer made machines that knew how to carve up the street of the track. Alpine hasn’t produced a car of its own since 1996, but the horsepower wars was supposed to rekindle the Alpine flame. Unfortunately the worldwide economic meltdown extinguished the hopes for the brand’s revival. Renault’s Chief operating officer Patrick Pelata told Autocar: "It’s a casualty of the [economic] crisis." Then again we knew this was coming. The new Alpine was supposed to share a platform with the upcoming Nissan 200SX. So two weeks ago when we got word that Nissan killed the 200SX, we should have also seen it as the death of the new Alpine. Renault Alpine will be based on Nissan 370Z
Renault is planning to relaunch the Alpine brand, but faithful TopSpeed readers already knew that. What is new is that the future Alpine might be based on the future Nissan 370Z. According to CarTribe, when the next Alpine debuts in November at the L.A. Auto Show, it will use the Infiniti G37 Coupe/Nissan 370Z underpinnings. This is a logical step considering Nissan’s FM platform is the basis for almost all of Nissan’s rear-wheel drive cars including the GT-R, and Renault has an alliance with Nissan. The FM platform is designed to move the engine back in the chassis, which offers good weight distribution. The Alpine brand is known for weight reduction as well as performance engines, which is a good thing because the FM platform is also known to be a little heavier than the competition. Production should begin before 2012.
Renault Alpine Concept
This extravagantly concept was designed by Arseny Kostromin. The project was made during an internship in Renault design center. We have to admit if the future Renault Alpine will look something like this (we seriously doubt it!) the sports car market will have a new serious competitor! New Renault Alpine to be launched in 2011
Of course Renault denied it, it’s normal after all - the auto makers have a strange habit of denying everything that’s cool. But it will happen! The Alpine brand will be revived and the company will bring it’s first sports car since the RenaultSport Spider. The new Alpine model will be launched in 2011. "Since the company’s conception in the 1950s, Alpine cars have been defined by their lightweight constructions and their affordability," Pelata told Autocar. "Our intention is to revive the brand with a car that has the same virtues." The 2011 Alpine model will be powered by a longitudinally mounted four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that will deliver enough power -at least 220bhp - to can easily compete with Mazda MX-5. There are no news about what platform the future Alpine will use, but the biggest clue dropped thus far was the Nissan Urge concept – an open, longitudinally-engined two-seat concept shown by Nissan in 2006, based on a shortened version of the 350Z’s underpinnings. | Find us on Facebook | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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