Comprehensive restoration and upgrade 2002 to 2008 by Alpine specialist David Asbury
Full recommissioning completed in 2021
FIVA Registered
1605cc engine rebuilt by Alpine specialist Salv Sacco
Type 353 gearbox rebuilt with 1964 Monte Carlo specification close ratios
Plenty of period-correct features including Group 4 French rally seats, AIFAB rally trip meter and PIA lights on dashboard
ELF Fuels livery fully removable
Tax and MOT exempt
The Appeal
Germany has Porsche, but Renault has Alpine. In the post war years both firms performed the remarkable trick of taking humble saloon car running gear – in both cases rear engined – and transforming it into beautiful, capable sports cars.
Alpine’s pretty A110 coupe followed the French fashion for making the most of less. A lightweight fibreglass body meant that the cars, equipped initially with just 1.1litre and 95bhp motors, were surprisingly quick and agile.
The firm parlayed this performance into rallying success, the A110’s light, nimble chassis achieving a string of notable podiums - including the Monte Carlo - before the arrival of mid-engined cars like the Lancia Stratos stole its thunder.
Just 7,500 A110s were built in France over its 15-year production run. Its enduring appeal is reflected in the values of those cars, plus the return of the car’s silhouette for the brand new – and critically lauded - Alpine A110 launched in 2017.
This remarkable A110 left the Dieppe factory in June 1969 as a 1100cc car to embark on a very varied life, initially in Corsica, before returning to France and then to the UK. Along the way it was converted to a 1300 in the 1980s before in 2002 beginning a seven year restoration process by highly regarded marque specialists to create a fast road/rally car as at home on a rally stage as touring across Europe. It is a highly detailed replica of the 1600cc Group 4 rally cars that Alpine campaigned around Europe in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
It is finished in removable Elf Fuels livery, fitted with a 1605cc engine and has received significant investment by the Seller. It is virtually the legal definition of ‘head turner,’ yet beyond the yellow paintwork is a highly capable rally weapon. It is FIVA registered and ready for the new owner to choose between fast road touring or rally events. Or both.
Group 4 specification French rally seats fitted in 2021 at cost of over £2,500
AIFAB period correct rally trip meter
Modern Monit GPS trip meter
Full road cage fixed to chassis not body
PIAA lights on dashboard
Quick release steering wheel
Pretty Alpine wooden gear knob
Roll bar hoop
Fire extinguisher system
Battery isolator
Brand new four point Schroth harnesses
There is no mistaking where you are and what this car is all about when you ease yourself into the beautiful, period-correct Group 4 French rally seats of this Alpine. Everywhere you look there are echoes of its purpose, from the quick release Momo steering wheel to the fire extinguisher system and classic AIFAB rally trip meter.
All of the conversion work was carried out by marque specialist David Astbury between 2002 and 2008. Some additional work was completed by the Seller in 2021.
The care and attention to detail are obvious – for example, the full road cage is bolted to the chassis, not the body as is often the case. The specification includes a roll bar hoop, fire extinguisher system, battery isolator, classic AIFAB and more modern Monit trip meters and those beautiful bucket seats with brand new four point harnesses. They are of the exact design used on Group 4 French rally cars in period and were fitted in 2021 at a cost of over £2,500.
The condition of the interior is very good, albeit with a gentle patina that gives the car character and reflects its working role. The roll cage is scratched in places as shown in the photos and there is slight – but not unsightly – deterioration of the fibreglass dashboard in places. The vinyl around the rear windows is also beginning to crack in places and the plastic shroud on the handbrake is also cracked.
UK registered on an appropriate plate but with original Corsica plates supplied with the car
Elf Fuels livery is removable except black bonnet and white bonnet stripes
New Pirelli Corsa 13inch tyres
Unmarked beautiful Gotti alloy wheels
Detailed and faithful replica of Group 4 Alpine A110 rally cars
Xenon driving lights and Oscar spotlights
This car’s transformation from svelte coupe to Group 4 rally weapon shows the versatility of the design and the attention to detail of the marque specialists who executed the work. The factory-correct yellow fibreglass bodywork is transformed by those four big spotlights, judicious application of a black bonnet with white outline, and that distinctive Elf livery.
The evolution of this car has been executed with care, right down to the beautiful Gotti alloys, which sit on brand new Pirelli Corsa 13inch tyres.
The bodywork is in very good condition – both the paint and the fibreglass - and the photographs include a record of the restoration work and respray. This car has covered few miles since it was restored in 2008 and just 300 miles since 2012.
The Seller says that he has only used the car for one event, which resulted in the front spoiler being damaged. Reflecting his ‘no expense spared’ approach to maintaining this car, the damage was repaired using a replacement front panel from the factory. To prevent a repetition a carbon guard and sump guard were specially fabricated to replicate those on the original factory rally cars and a sump guard was also fitted over the gearbox at the back of the car.
The decals can be easily removed, but the black bonnet and white stripe are painted on. The only demerit we could find on the otherwise excellent exterior was the rubber windscreen surround, which has begun to perish in the corners.
Engine fully rebuilt by marque specialist Salv Sacco
Fully rebuilt 353 Type gearbox with close ratio 364 Type Monte Carlo specification
Big differential with large half shafts
New 45 DCOE Weber carburettors
New factory fuel tank supplied from Monaco with space for a spare wheel
Uprated brakes with 22cm master cylinder, 48mm front calipers and 45mm rear calipers
Devil exhaust system
Omex fully digital ignition system with programmable crank and throttle sensors
When an owner decides to pay homage to a car’s rally pedigree it can be tempting to take the easy route and stop at the aesthetics. That definitely isn’t the path taken with this beautiful car. The work by David Astbury in the early Noughties had the goal of creating a fast road and rally car, one that was as at home touring Europe as navigating forest tracks.
This car left the factory with the 1.1litre Gordini engine. Later cars got progressively larger engines and this car now runs a 1605cc Type 9870/20 Gordini engine as used on the Group 4 rally cars. This motor was fully rebuilt by renowned Alpine engine specialist Salv Sacco and runs twin Weber 45 carburettors. It has been dyno tested to 142bhp at 7,000rpm, as the photographs confirm. The engine bay has also been nicely detailed.
It is mated to a 353 Type four speed gearbox that has also been fully rebuilt and fitted with close ratio gears to the same specification as the A110 Monte Carlo rally cars.
The braking system has been similarly upgraded to match this extra power and a high tech Omex ignition system fitted with crank and throttle sensors that can be programmed from a laptop. A Devil exhaust system completes the package, looking and definitely sounding the part.
The work was completed in 2008 and the car has been little used since. The Seller states that it has recently been serviced. It is tax and MOT exempt.
The original A110’s place in the lexicon of motoring icons seems secure now that Alpine has rejuvenated the silhouette for a modern era. Light, nimble and devastating on a rally stage, it is has always been a car that’s just as enjoyable on or off the tarmac.
This highly detailed recreation of those Alpine rally cars stays true to that ethos. It was developed to be as useable as a touring or rally car, all the work undertaken by Alpine maestros like David Astbury and Salv Sacco. The Seller has lavished it with care and it looks ready to attack whatever road or track the buyer wants to put before it.
Notice to bidders
This item is sold on an ‘As is Where is’ basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and listing descriptions are for guidance purposes only*.** Car & Classic do not warrant listing accuracy. Full inspection is recommended. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion. Buyer is responsible for delivery and collection of any item purchased.*
UK-registered cars and motorbikes on Car & Classic are run through an online HPI check. On the HPI report, this vehicle shows no insurance database markers for damage or theft. It is currently not covered by a finance agreement.
A non-refundable buyer’s deposit is payable on this item, refer to FAQs and T&Cs for the applicable percentage.
Car & Classic's secure payment system protects buyers and sellers. At the end of the auction, the winning bidder transfers payment into a third-party escrow account. Once the transfer of the vehicle is complete, both parties confirm they are happy with the sale and the money is released to the seller.
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1969 Alpine A110 Rally Group 4 1600 Specification
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