Classic cars with history: Renault Alpine A610 Turbo

When, back in the 1950s, a mechanic from the French region of Dieppe named Jean Rédélé was driving along the Alpine roads, he came up with the idea of building a sports car that could give its owner the same feeling as driving his Renault 4CV along mountain roads. Thus was born a French sports car manufacturer, with engines built by Renault.

Alpine produced truly memorable models over the years. From the famous Alpine coupé, through MPVs such as the Espace, a roadster concept, and culminating in the preparation of the R5, the Clio V6 and the Mégane for homologation, not to mention winning Le Mans in 1978, the WRC and other competitions. But the Alpine A610 was the most powerful of the “A series”, the most striking of them all and the crowning glory.

Alpine presented the A610 Turbo at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show. The new model featured an overall redesign, with a more efficient aerodynamic coefficient than the Alpine GTA, its predecessor, although it kept to the 2+2 coupé format. The A610’s performance (with a 3-litre engine from the Renault 25 Turbo) was as follows: 250 horsepower, a top speed of 265 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds.

Truly a coupé that still impresses to this day. In Spain, FASA built the A108 (berlinetta and convertible) and A110 for the local market, models that preceded the A610, based on the Renault 8, as well as other export models. The A610 is one of those cars that remain on my personal list of cars I would one day like to buy, along with the Honda NSX.

Sources and photos | Wikipedia, Foro Coches, Renault Alpine Owners Club