Renault Alpine x2

SO GOOD THEY DID IT TWICE

Sometimes you just have to shake your head in wonder at the way things are. How can two of the most beautiful and delightful cars from the classic and modern eras be so rare?

Beauty is subjective, sure, but the owner of both of these Alpine 110s, Donald Webster, says the routine reaction from those seeing either car for the first time — but especially the more dramatic older car — is wonderment and a stream of superlative compliments.

Anyone who recognizes the original Renault Alpine 110 will surely recall images of its 1971 Monte Carlo win and the multiple podiums achieved in the first World Rally Championship in 1973.

Its beauty is more than skin deep. The 110’s unusual backbone chassis and light fibreglass body made it — especially the later model with the 1565cc Renault 16TS engine — a very potent package. In common with many French cars its sophisticated suspension, which includes four shock absorbers at the rear, gave the car a very compliant and supple ride, which surely helped its drivers stay focused, fast, and accurate. The car effectively dominated the rally scene until the arrival of the rallyspecific Lancia Stratos, which lifted the game to a new level.

The Alpine brand was then applied to a couple of other bigger and heavier GT cars, the best known being 1984’s Alpine GTA, but they didn’t find much favour and Renault decided to stick to its knitting. That is until, after almost a 20-year hiatus, Renault came back in 2017 with this modern tribute, a car that is so much a reincarnation of its predecessor it is also called the Alpine 110 (A110: A-one-ten). It picks up many of its predecessor’s design cues — the distinctive moulded headlights, the bonnet creases, the scallop in the side panels, and the depressions in the rear wings echoing the scoop of the original — but they are blended so elegantly its almost an insult to consider them as imports. Ten out of 10 for style then, but can the new car match the superb dynamics of the original small and very light car?

UNDER THE SKIN

This particular 1971 Alpine — which the French pronounce ‘Alpeen’ — is well known to participants and followers of the Targa New Zealand tarmac rally. Its owner, Donald Webster of Auckland’s North Shore, has campaigned it in 13 of the last 15 annual Targa events. The Targa gives enthusiastic owners of classic and sports cars an almost priceless opportunity to drive their cars as intended on rewarding closed roads for five days

Its beauty is more than skin deep. The 110’s unusual backbone chassis and light fibreglass body made it a very potent package

each year. Donald is almost as dedicated to this event as he is to French cars, which are in his blood.

His family is associated with Campbell Motors, which imported Renaults and Peugeots for many years. He has driven Renaults and Peugeots all his life. And it’s not just Donald who is still flying the flag. His wife, Penny, drives a Peugeot RCZ and their progeny Peugeots 307; 308 GTI; 508GT SW; and, until recently, a 407 wagon.

Donald drove his first five Targas, starting in 2000, in a Peugeot 106 Rallye that had already been set up as a competition car with a roll cage. But he always thought the Targa should be for classic cars. In that case, what would fit the bill? He considered a 504 as the family business had campaigned them in the past, or a Renault Gordini, but once the thought of an Alpine occurred to him there was no going back.

“It really is a boyhood dream come true,” he says.

And it’s not just Donald who is still flying the flag. His wife, Penny, drives a Peugeot RCZ

BONJOUR MONSIEUR

Finding one of these legendary classics was easier said than done. Donald pored over the French magazines devoted to the marque. They included classifieds but, not trusting his French, he didn’t call. Then one appeared with an email address. That gave him the chance to compose something approximating French. He received a reply in perfect English from the owner, Ian Anderson, of South Wimbledon.

Ian was the president of the UK Alpine club. To this day, the car carries plaques from some of his competition wins. The deal was done and Donald took delivery of the car in New Zealand in 2004. Its aluminium engine had been sleeved out to 1905cc and breathed on in other respects. It made a very effective weapon for the 2005 Targa until it seized 300m from the finish of the final stage of the event.

Donald got in touch with the engine builder in the UK, who was surprised it had lasted that long. While the Renault engine is famously reliable, he had built it as a sprint engine and the 150 or so kilowatts he extracted was really pushing the envelope. Donald opted for a more conservative 1796cc set of sleeves, which hit more of a sweet spot. It makes just less than 142kw — more than adequate in a car weighing less than 900kg.

Donald has entrusted engineering on the car to Brett Matthews of Berton Automotive. He has recently fitted a billet crank for greater peace of mind. It also sports exhaust headers crafted by Duane from Monster Engineering. They feature a slip joint arrangement for each extractor right at the cylinder head inspired by Mike Lowe’s ‘Barty’, a Fiat Abarth, and another famous Targa car. The headers are unsupported right to the muffler, so this has cured a long-standing cracking problem. “The vibration in this set-up is a killer,” says Donald.

Brett Matthews has also added a water-cooling system self-bleeding arrangement, as removing airlocks from the front radiator / rear-engined system was a nightmare. He has also added an engine-oil catch-tank to the rocker-cover breather, which keeps the back of the car and surrounding countryside cleaner, and he has beefed up the oil-cooler system. Donald says the oil would get hot but not dangerously so, and the main bearings were always in good condition at rebuild time. Over the years, the gearbox has received new driveshaft seals and a new third-gear synchro.

It makes just less than 190 bhp — more than adequate in a car weighing less than 900kg

TWICE AS GOOD

The suspension has needed remarkably few refinements. Donald has fitted slightly stronger front springs and replaced the front shocks with Bilsteins, just because they are rebuildable. The rear shocks are still standard, and the original units. The Alpine is now close to ideal as a Targa car. So what do you do when you have an Alpine 110 that’s the answer to your hopes and dreams? You get another one.

Like many Alpine fans, Donald was agog when Renault announced the new Alpine 110, left-hand-drive only at first but then a right-hand-drive version was announced. It wasn’t long before he decided he had to have one, but getting one was not straightforward. Renault in New Zealand decided, for various deplorable money-related reasons, it would not bring the car here. However, Donald was in touch with another Alpine fan and Renault service centre owner in Australia who had ordered one of the 60 being imported there. When he decided at the last minute he couldn’t go through with the deal he offered the car to Donald. That meant Donald had to pay the import duties and registration both in Australia and New Zealand, but to a true devotee like Donald that didn’t matter. Well, not enough to put him off.

A GORGEOUS GARAGE

As a result, opening his garage door reveals not one but two of the most beautiful car visages, as the French say, in the country. And they are two cars that back up the promise of those good looks with a superb driving experience.

We take them out. Donald says the cars are “very different” but he is interested to hear about the similarities between the two. The original 110’s driving virtues were exemplified by its rally success. The modern iteration has also garnered praise from reviewers who said it drove and handled a level above its competitors on price, chiefly Alfa Romeo’s 4C, and the Porsche Cayman.

We head north to find a twisty road and the new car’s composure is

It wasn’t long before he decided he had to have one, but getting one was not straightforward

immediately apparent. It’s as easy to drive as any modern car, its seven-speed double-clutch transmission handling the power distribution without fuss. There’s a pleasant low rasp from the mid-mounted turbo 1800cc engine and just enough supple feedback from the suspension to let you know what’s happening down there. It’s a very charming companion with a hint of flirtiness reminding you it’s a sports car just waiting for the chance to play.

Being prompted to engage had me reaching for a gear lever but once on a twisty section of road that mattered less, rather than more. Dabbing at the paddles or just leaving the box to its own devices meant you were free to enjoy the flow and flick of the car’s nimble prowess and fierce response. On the move, the car does everything right to a surprising degree. It irons out the road irregularities, yet you sense its lightness in the way it refuses to bottom out despite provocation, and the way it darts into corners.

And you can double that for Sport mode. The intake bellows, the exhaust crackles, and the throttle response sharpens. On this road it would take a skilled driver to conclude it needed more power. But it never gets scary. The chassis handles all of the cracks, slumps, and random-radius turns with ease. Corner tightening? Just turn in more, and squirt. Sumptuous.

ADDING LIGHTNESS

Some reviewers have quibbled about materials in the interior trim for the car’s cost. I must say, if I hadn’t been prompted by these comments to look, I wouldn’t have noticed anything being below par, with the possible exception of the panel under the windscreen. But there are other delightful touches, like the tricolour badge on the rear pillars, the chrome ‘A’ badges on the parcel shelf and front wings, as on the original, and classy-looking chrome vents and quilted padding on the seats. The bare-metal door cappings are a deliberate design choice and the seats don’t recline at all but lightness — 1100kg all up — was a clear design goal and that imposes a certain asceticism. And apparently the finish is far better than that of a Lotus, another car builder that adds lightness. There’s no limited-slip diff, or separate handbrake but these wheel control duties are all combined in the rear discs. Yet everything you’d want is there, and I applaud Alpine’s dedication to the driving experience first and foremost.

It’s genuinely hard to understand why more people haven’t acquired them. They make a fantastic alternative to a Porsche or an Audi. Yes, the Renault badge is not as upmarket but that is a shallow judgement. In this market, it’s Porsches that are common. The Alpine certainly has much greater exclusivity. It looks superb and the driving experience has, according to Donald, persuaded at least one Porsche driver of his acquaintance to trade up to an Alpine. Donald’s car is the Premier model, and he paid over the odds to acquire his car, but surely there are other takers here for something this good?

PRETTY BRUTAL

Nicely warmed up, we swap cars. The original A110 is very low, the doors are small, and the side protection offered by the substantial roll cage calls for flexibility and practised technique if you aren’t going to jam your leg under the steering wheel. The seats are directly bolted to the roll cage’s cross braces. The fibreglass body will offer no crumple protection in a crash so Donald says finding himself sitting in a bare roll cage in a field surrounded by shredded fibreglass would count as a good result.

The corner of the small windscreen, and the roll bar, are close. The pedals are massively offset. The bottom-pivoted clutch and brake are unbelievably heavy. Almost every new driver is taken aback and asks Donald if he has to work out to drive it. Driving it means he doesn’t have

Yes, the Renault badge is not as upmarket but in this market, it’s Porsches that are common

to work out, he says. I remember Donald said the cars are “very different” — with just a soupçon of understatement. It’s hard to imagine how two cars with the same looks, same parentage, and even the same name could be so different, although it’s true they have been on different paths for nearly 50 years.

The original A110 is a very pretty car, but its Group 5 bodywork with its flared guards, its whale tail, and its 15-inch wheels means the car also looks brutal. “Pretty brutal,” Donald concludes, which I now see is apt.

The clutch engages nicely but it takes a long and hefty shove to disengage. Donald says he always doubledeclutches, both changing up and down. And he takes it slowly. Trouble is, roaring up a winding road with a freebreathing race engine bellowing in your eardrums doesn’t give you a lot of time and I rush the changes.

Then Donald points out my deathlike grip on the gear lever. I’ve applied the muscularity needed for the long-throw pedals and the unassisted steering to the gear lever which, in contrast, demands a light touch. Some mental decoupling is called for. And here’s another uphill corner. I back off slightly and focus on gear changes, trying to switch my grip from the strangling-the-chicken style I’ve adopted to the gentle guidance Donald recommends. Frankly, my changes are still mostly rubbish. And I find it hard to not hit the throttle in between clutch dabs on the up changes.

SENSORY OVERLOAD

It’s hard work but it provokes the biggest smile a car has put on my face for many a year. I end the twisty section under assault from sensory overload. After the photographer has taken some photos we motor back to Auckland. Alone in the original, I get on better terms with this car. I can slow down the gear changes and stroke them through in a much more satisfying way, the double-declutching working as intended.

The fibreglass body, dash, and windows rattle and buzz, keeping up a non-stop chatter with the still-shouting engine. Donald reckons he could chase down all those rattles, and one day he might do that, maybe fit new rubbers and tidy up the trim. One day. But for now the car is blatantly and proudly a working road-legal racing car.

The four-point harness sits heavily on my chest. There are a couple of opportunities to use more of the throttle, which goes way further than I thought. The engine’s ever-present roar turns into a battering howl, then it bays with unrestrained fury. Using full throttle is over the top in every respect. The wheel needs a hefty effort to turn. I can feel my left foot aching a little from its battles with the clutch. The spindly indicator has a long throw; the large flat front gauges are twisted in their housing to show the most relevant portions through the small chunky steering wheel. The curved chrome door lever and window winder remind you this car is halfway to being an antique. Donald is right. The car’s delicate lines are misleading. This car is “pretty brutal” but it’s easy to see how, given time to acclimatise, it would deliver massive amounts of unfiltered fun, especially on a closed road. This particular car is utterly different from the new example but in one respect it is very much the same.

It handles spectacularly well. The steering is direct and, not having an engine in the front, it is responsive. The massive torque of the engine, or the effect of what there is on a lightweight car, means the gear changes I am so keen to master are less of an issue on the road. Select a gear, and you can rip through a series of corners focusing just on picking the right line and being smooth. And the suspension makes it smooth. I’m sure this race car has a much more compliant ride than many other race-prepared cars in the Targa. It’s hard to picture immediately after the assault I’ve just experienced but surely that suppleness translates into a more relaxed and composed drive over the days of Targa competition.

Beauty, in both cars, is more than skin deep.

The engine’s ever-present roar turns into a battering howl, then it bays with unrestrained fury. Using full throttle is over the top in every respect