The well-earned prestige of the Alpine A110 did not translate into great sales as a result of its spartan character and demanding driving. This made the French brand bet on a more usable successor on a day-to-day basis: the A310.
On paper, the Alpine A310 It had a philosophy of design and conception that guaranteed its commercial success. Its predecessor, the legendary Alpine A110, was a car very thought out for rallying and that in addition to being Spartan was rather radical, both in its driving position and dynamic behavior.
The French firm needed a vehicle that would provide it with a good sales figure. The A310 had to be that car, since it had a much more comfortable size and interior suitable for the average user, although without giving up a sporty and suggestive appearance like that of the bodywork designed by Michel Beligond conferred on him.
A bad decision
The Alpine A310 was presented at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show as the rational alternative to the mythical A110, which in any case continued to be sold until 1978. It soon attracted attention with its attractive design and six headlights! on the front.
While the small and nimble A110 stayed at less than 700 kg, the A310 held just under a ton, as its bigger size and GT philosophy so they forced. Therefore, a more powerful and current engine was necessary to maintain high performance.
A mighty Alpine A310 V6, seen in detail.
However, Alpine opted for the old four-cylinder engine of the Renault 17TS equipped with two Weber carburettors and that it only delivered a power of 125 hp. They were not bad for the time, but some versions of the A110 had more and with less weight, there was no color.
The propeller, arranged in a rear longitudinal position (and which, ironically for a supposedly practical car canceled out the boot), was mounted on a tubular steel chassis lined with one-piece fiberglass bodywork. The suspensions were independent and the gearbox was a 5-speed manual.
In short, it was a modernized and domesticated A110. Too.
The Alpine A310 V6
The French brand manufactured the Alpine by hand, so each unit needed 130 working hours. Most of the parts were from Renault, but others such as the steering rack (Peugeot 504) or the indicators (SIMCA 1301) came from other brands.
The ‘good’ thing is that the car’s commercial success was not exactly what was expected, so there were no problems meeting demand. Not in vain, only 2340 units were sold in the six years of validity of the four-cylinder model in its different variants.
And is that, aware of the mistake made with the choice of engine, Alpine decided to switch to a V6 from 1976. It was the popular 2.6-liter 150 hp PRV, conceived by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo. This engine was also used by the DeLorean DMC-12.
Obviously, the performance improved and the A310 started to offer a top speed of 225 km / h and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 7.8 seconds. Thus, sales doubled, although the lack of updates to the model in successive years ended up making sales decline again.
To try to alleviate the situation, in 1981 the suspension became the same as that of the Renault 5 Turbo and in 1983 the GT PackInspired by the Group 4 car, it featured a larger wheelbase, larger spoilers and a 2.9-liter PRV engine and triple Weber carburettor to deliver 193 hp of power.
Of the different versions of the V6, 9276 units were sold in 9 years, but the truth is that the A310 never came to match its predecessor neither in sensations, nor in performance, nor in prestige, saying goodbye to the market in 1984 and passing the baton to the Alpine V6 GT. Despite this, it had enough charm to be appreciated, something that over the years has increased significantly in the market for classics.
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Do not miss the rest of the classics remembered in our section, Loves of youth.