The A110 berlinette is Alpine’s most iconic car. Alpine Founder Jean Rédélé immediately wanted his cars to catch the eye with their performances in competition – rather like that other great French constructor, E. Bugatti.

The first A110 racing cars had 1100cc engines, no wing enlargers, R8 Gordini 15″ wheels, and just two front headlamps. To cope with the feeble capacity of the front-mounted, Renault-origin metal tank, racing models swiftly acquired a second, central tank made from aluminium.

The 1600 models from 1971 were already far more advanced: the central, aeroplane-like tank had greater capacity; the chassis was reinforced, with the rear tubes rectangular rather than square; the front with four headlamps had first appeared in 1968; and the 13″ wheels radically altered the car’s handling. The small R8-origin (type 353) gearbox had been replaced by the 364, or ‘grosse boîte’, with reinforced camshafts and extra torque.

But Alpine’s determination – evident from 1970 – to win international events like the Acropolis, San Remo, RAC, Portuguese and Morocco rallies obliged the factory to prepare its berlinettes even more thoroughly. These races took place on different types of terrain, some good, some bad, and the berlinette, which was rather small and light, had seemed too fragile to emerge victorious on such daunting roads.

Thus improved, Alpine proved brilliant winners of the 1971 International Manufacturers’ Championship, with victories in the Monte Carlo, San Remo, Acropolis, Austrian and Portuguese rallies, and ultimately in the Coupe des Alpes.

The top French drivers succeeded one another behind the wheel of the A110: Nicolas, Thérier, Andruet, Darniche, Larousse, Vinatier and Piot, along with Andersson of Sweden. In 1971 Alpine’s racing department produced around forty 1600S Group 4 berlinettes, either for racing or as spare cars. The Alpine A110 offered for sale here belonged to the former (more sought-after) category.

Story by Gilles Vallerian courtesy of Artcurial