Automobile. 70 years ago, Jean Rédélé created the Alpine brand

Jean Rédélé, the youngest Renault dealer in France, began racing a Renault 4CV. Obsessed with the power-to-weight ratio, he quickly lightened the modest Renault to give it better performance and greater cornering agility.

His first race, the Dieppe-Rouen Rally, resulted in his first victory. In 1952, he participated in the Mille Miglia, winning his class. But it was in the Alps that he won the Critérium des Alpes, which he considers his best race.

Rédélé's 4CVs even had the luxury of systematically outperforming the 4CVs entered by Renault. In 1954, Jean Rédélé began designing the sports car of his dreams himself. The bodywork was built in Saint-Maur, near Paris, while assembly was carried out in the ^18th arrondissement of the capital, in a garage on Rue Forest.

A tribute name

The Alpines received mechanicals from Régie Renault. The A106 was born, and Rédélé's father-in-law financed the project. All that remained was to find a name for it.

The name Alpine is a tribute to the Coupe des Alpes. It's an ideal name to symbolize the brand's values: lightness, driving pleasure, and agility. This DNA is complemented by affordable prices thanks to the use of mass-produced parts.

To match the Alpine name, Jean Rédélé added a stylized A to his logo, combined with the color "Bleu France." The symbol is that of the snow-capped peaks and winding mountain roads. The A106 takes its name from the A in Alpine and the first three digits of the mine type of the car that serves as its basis, the Renault 4CV.

The sky is darkening for Alpine

But the one that would forever symbolize the Alpine brand was called the A110 and was presented in 1962 at the Paris Motor Show. Also known as the Berlinette, it was a real success and proved uncompromising in competition. In 1971, it won its first European Manufacturers' Rally Championship title.

In 1973, it was crowned the first world rally champion with 147 points ahead of Fiat (84 points) and Ford (76 points). Since 1965, the links with Renault have been strengthened, and from 1966 the cars were distributed within the network of the diamond brand.

While everything may seem to be going perfectly on the surface, the reality is less rosy. The Alpine design remains artisanal. This doesn't fit with the increasing demands of customers and the security constraints that increasingly weigh on the company. In 1972, a strike paralyzed the company.

Renault as majority shareholder

The accounts are in the red, and Jean Rédélé is aware that he must rely on a large group. His privileged relationship with Renault makes the company an obvious partner.

The company opened its capital to Renault, which saw its influence grow in the company's organization and strategy. Jean Rédélé, who no longer felt in control, left the company in 1978, obtaining a promise from Renault to keep jobs on the company's site for fifteen years.

Alpine was saved, as was the Dieppe site. The 1980s were a decade of slow but inevitable decline. The 1990s marked the Dieppe brand's descent into hell.

In 1994, it was the end. The brand's last model, the A610, failed to sell. Positioned against the Porsche, it didn't offer the same level of prestige, and Renault made little effort to sell it. The few models present in dealerships were relegated to the back of the showroom, between the Clio and the Safrane.

Renault lets Alpine die

In 1994, the brand sold 14 units that year. The last A610s left the factory amid general indifference. The model would not be replaced. Renault, which was preparing the Spider, considered branding it Alpine, before abandoning the idea in favor of the Renault Sport brand. This marked the end of Alpine, much to the dismay of fans of the brand.

The Dieppe factory was then directed by Renault to assemble the Renault Sport range, thus ensuring that all activity continued. In 2006, it was announced that Renault wanted to revive Alpine. After some hesitation, an aborted partnership with the English manufacturer Caterham, and many rumors, the new Alpine finally entered production in 2017.

The A110 is a modern evocation of the original A110 Berlinetta. It captures its spirit and proportions in a neo-retro offering that has been very well received by the public.

Winning return

Despite ever-tightening standards and cars that have grown considerably in half a century, the 2017 Alpine delivers. The weight is kept to around a ton, and the car's honor is intact. The Alpine A110 is efficient, playful, and at ease on winding asphalt.

The 1.8-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine is a perfect fit for the new A110. 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) is achieved in 4.5 seconds thanks to its 252 horsepower. It even beats the Porsche 718 Cayman, reaching 200 km/h (124 mph) in 16.9 seconds.

Alpine rediscovers ambition

Today, Renault sees Alpine as a true premium brand with a complete range. The A110 is joined by the A290, the first electric Alpine, and then, to mark the brand's 70th anniversary, by the A390, a sports SUV. Other models are expected, including the future electric A110.

Alpine, which is present in F1 and endurance racing, has great ambition. But the hardest part remains to be done: making itself known abroad. More than ever, Alpine must prove itself to succeed in its bid to become a profitable brand. But impossible is not Norman.