Alpine A310 V6 - New Car Pride of Renault

Renault knew it would be very difficult to follow up on the legendary Berlinette, which was one reason the Alpine kept its project code -A310- instead of being properly baptized.

The car was born from a cooperative design project involving Renault and Jean Rédélé's team, and this shows through quite clearly in the exterior and interior style: the car differs widely from the Berlinette in its modern, aggressive lines.

The A310 started out with the 1605cc four-cylinder unit that powered the Renault 17, then in September 1976 it got a new V6 PRV engine developed jointly with Peugeot and Volvo. With this new power unit, the A310 would be able to give the best of itself, while remaining eminently affordable alongside its high-prestige rivals.

The A310 addressed sports-minded motoring enthusiasts rather than rally drivers as such. Both versions had their advocates, who at least managed to agree on a shared appreciation of superb automobile design backed by a powerful, responsive engine - Renault.