Alpine is a name that, up until 2017, remained relatively quiet in the automotive world. This year marked the first production car since the 1990s for the Alpine brand, and what a car it was, with the A110 receiving brilliant reviews in the press.
This relative obscurity wasn't always the case, though. Far from it, really, since the Alpine name had been synonymous with motorsport success throughout the 1960s and '70s. One of the cars that helped make this possible was the original A110, which was successfully driven to a 1-2-3 victory at the 1971 and '73 Monte Carlo rally.
With its successor, though, the A310, its name wasn't so much made through victory on the circuits — although it did, however, achieve a string of thirds at the Tour de Course in 1974, '76, and '77. Instead, it was its looks that it became renowned for — which isn't to say earlier Alpines disappointed in this department, by any means — and its road-going performance, resulting in the car being a real favorite among enthusiasts.
With that being said, let's take a look at how much a classic Renault Alpine A310 is worth today.
The History of Alpine and the A310
It all started in the early 1950s when Jean Rédélé, a then Renault dealer and race driver, had secured numerous racing titles behind the wheel of a 4CV. In 1954, spurred on by his success, Rédélé used the chassis from the 4CV and developed his own two-door coupe named the A106. The A106 was a racing success, too, having secured a racing victory at the Coupe des Alpes in 1954 — which, interestingly, is what served as inspiration for the Alpine name.
In 1955, following this success and the backing of Renault, the Alpine brand — officially titled The Société des Automobiles Alpine SAS — was born. The motorsport success continued for Rédélé, too, largely thanks to the legendary A110 that was first launched in 1961.
Its replacement, the A310, came 10 years afterward though production of the A110 still continued until 1977 — which is testimony to just how good it was. According to Autocar, the A310 was developed to take on the Porsche 911, with development carried out hand-in-hand with Renault Engineering. Sadly, however, the 1973 oil crisis resulted in poor sales for Alpine, so, to save the company, Renault stepped in and took on a 70% stake in the company.
As a result of this, Alpine's legendary competition department had been replaced by Renault Sport — a division also responsible for some iconic cars — meaning the A310 wasn't pushed nearly as far as the A110 in terms of motorsport. It did, however, live on as a production vehicle, with its purpose being much more road-focused than track.
The A310 rang between 1971 and 1984. Earlier models came with a rear-mounted, four-cylinder engine developed by Gordini that gave out 125 bhp. Nothing too exciting there, then, but the A310 was extremely light thanks to its fiberglass body — around 900kg, or 1,984 lbs — and also handled brilliantly thanks to its steel backbone chassis and rear-mounted engine. Its wedge-like shape was beneficial, too — besides making it look great, of course — as this meant the A310 had brilliant aerodynamics.
In 1976, the A310 was given a rework, with a bigger, six-cylinder engine — named the PRV and used in Renaults and Volvos of the time — shoved in the back. Power was now up to a more respectable 150 bhp, meaning the A310 could now go on to reach 138 mph and hit sixty in 7.4 seconds. Not bad at all, especially when you factor in this was the '70s. But it didn't stop there, though, as in 1983, a GT Pack was developed — named so due to inspiration borrowed from the Group 4 racing cars — which increased the V6's displacement to 2.9 liters and uprated power to 193 bhp. Suspension was also shared with the R5 turbo, and flared wheel arches were added, too.
How Much a Classic Renault Alpine A310 is Worth Today
As you'd expect, then, the classic Renault Alpine A310 has quite the cult following, which means that finding one for cheap is pretty difficult — and even more so for the later V6 variants. Mind you, they're nothing when compared to the prices of some classics. Earlier, four-cylinder models are currently sitting at an average of around $25,000, while a decent-condition V6 will cost you around $35,000. If it's the even-faster GT variant you're after, then expect to pay out in excess of $50,000 in some cases. But for that, you will get one that's been well looked after and has fairly low mileage, though.
But let's face it, if you're looking for something with heritage, looks that are unlike anything else on the road, and excellent performance, then you'll be hard pushed to find anything better for your money.