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Trevor Fiore's Proposal to Replace the A310 S. G.
The Alpine Models That Never Saw the Light

The Alpine Models That Never Saw the Light

Santiago de Garnica Cortezo

Sábado, 18 de enero 2025, 08:00

Since 1972, following a strike that halted the Alpine factory amid a severe financial crisis, Renault became the majority shareholder of the Dieppe firm. From then on, the diamond brand took control, gradually sidelining Jean Rédélé. Two years later, in 1974, reaffirming their position, the new "owners" launched the so-called NGA Program or "Nouvelle Gamme Alpine" with the project of two new models.

The first was intended to replace the A310, born in 1971, a model that required a lot of manual labor for its artisanal production and was not very profitable, as well as heavy. Compared to the A310, the engine would no longer be the four-cylinder but the new V6 PVR, jointly designed by Peugeot, Volvo, and Renault, and used by various models of these three brands.

The idea was to place it centrally, not hanging behind the rear axle as was the case with the A110 and A310. Additionally, it would have a curious interior layout, with three front seats (like the Matra Murena...) and the seat further back than its companions. The first body design was the work of Ives Legal, the person in charge at Renault of directing the development of new Alpine models.

He was joined by Marc Deschamps and an external consultant, Trevor Fiore, who had already been responsible for the design of the A310. The models and drawings show Alpine cars with a very wedge-shaped line, in the style of the seventies.

The original study by Boyer, with the engine in a rear transverse position S. G.

Meanwhile, Renault's officials commissioned a second study from Robert Boyer. Boyer had been a designer at Renault, during which he conceived models like the R12 and R14, as well as the interior of the R5. Although he had already left the diamond brand to create his own design office, he maintained very good relations with his former employer. For him, he conceived the A105, a very compact sports car, only 3.73 meters long, with a four-cylinder engine in a rear transverse position, leaving a fairly large space for luggage. Inside, it would also have three seats, and the body would follow a marked arch line.

But both projects would not go beyond the model stage. At Renault, they no longer thought of Alpine; now the objectives had changed. Thus, at the competition level, they sought victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and then came the revolution of their Turbo Formula 1. And, thinking about rallies, they focused on launching the R5 Turbo with a central engine (which would be unveiled in 1978). But everything would be under the diamond logo, not Alpine.

There was no money to develop a replacement for the A310. So in Dieppe, Robert Opron (the creator of the Citroën GS, CX, and the spectacular XM) was tasked with its reform, and, incidentally, the V6 PRV engine was incorporated. Guy Frequelin would become the French rally champion with an A310 Group 4. In 1985, its successor, the Alpine GTA (the first Alpine conceived under Renault's leadership), arrived, and in 1990, the A610, a profound evolution of the previous model, which disappeared in 1995. It would not be until 2017, when the current Alpine A110 arrived, that the "berlinette" story would have continuity, something Jean Rédélé, who passed away in 2007, would never see.

El proyecto VVA

But let's return to our story. In 1977, Renault looked with interest and envy at the unexpected success of the Matra Simca Rancho, a true precursor of the current SUV concept, a family car conceived not only as a means of transport but also as an element of a new lifestyle where leisure time took on greater prominence. This led to the Renault design team, led by Gaston Juchet, working on the "Project VVA" or "Véhicule Vert Alpine" at the end of that decade. Complementing the production of Alpine sports cars, this project was intended to increase the workload at the underutilized Dieppe plant.

Model of the VVA designed by Michel Jardin S. G.

Michel Jardin (future creator of the Renault Fuego, presented in 1980) proposed a design that Juchet liked. Several 1:1 scale models were made. With large glazed surfaces and the lower part of the sides and wheel arches protected by black plastics, it responded to the aesthetics of the early 80s. Mechanically, the idea was for it to have 4x4 traction.

It could have been a success... but Renault did not want conflicts with Matra, with whom they were about to start a collaboration to develop a revolutionary family car concept with a minivan body, the Espace. Thus, the Project VVA, like Yves Legal's NGA and Robert Boyer's A105, would be forgotten.

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