20130308 DP Alpine Endurance EN

PRESS KIT 03-08-2013 A HISTORY OF ALPINE’S ENDURANCE RACING PROTOTYPES INTRODUCTION - Alpine is undoubtedly the only French car brand to have enjoyed success in rallying, single-seater racing and sportscars. Not only that, but this success was achieved with distinctly modest financial means, compensated for by plenty of passion... - The recent Rallye Monte Carlo Historique underlined just how fresh Alpine’s glorious past in rallying continues to be in people’s memo- ries, whilst the triumphs notched up by Renault’s engines in Formula 1 over the years – in chassis made by Renault, Benetton, Williams and Red Bull – have continued the marque’s winning run in the single-seater arena. - In endurance racing, Alpine started more than 200 races over two periods, extending from 1963 until 1969 (135 races), and from 1973 until 1978 (104). This programme harvested a long list international class and ‘index’ wins, as well as the brand’s memorable victory at Le Mans in 1978. Now, Alpine is poised to contest the world’s most famous 24-hour race once again in June 2013. - To mark this exciting comeback, we invite you to take a journey back in time… CONTENTS PART ONE: THE ‘BLUE’ ERA – THE ALPINE-RENAULT PROTOTYPES 1.1 Two titles to set the ball rolling 1.2 A long list of ‘index’ successes 1.3 Putting France on top 1.4 Results and statistics: the 1960s PART TWO: THE ‘YELLOW’ ERA – THE RENAULT-ALPINE PROTO- TYPES 2.1 Champions of Europe 2.2 The turbo effect 2.3 Victory at Le Mans 2.4 Results and statistics: the 1970s THE ‘BLUE’ ERA – THE ALPINE-RENAULT PROTOTYPES From the moment he launched his brand, Jean Rédélé made the decision to boost Alpine’s development by trying to be successful in motorsport. The excellent results it obtained on the Mille Miglia and, later, the Rallye Monte-Carlo have been well-documented, not to mention the brand’s achievements on the Tour de France Automobile which earned the A110 its sobriquet ‘Berlinette Tour de France’. However, Jean Rédélé quickly recognised that an automobile manufacturer could only truly be consid- ered a sportscar maker if it took competed at Le Mans 24 Hours, the jewel in the crown of the international sportscar calendar and a legendary race with a worldwide following, guaranteeing unrivalled positive publicity for anybody who won it. 1.1 TWO TITLES TO SET THE BALL ROLLING In 1962, based on the recommendation of Gérard Crombac and José Ros- inski (esteemed journalists from France’s Sport Auto magazine), Rédélé approached Len Terry, a young English engineer who had worked on the Lotus 23 chassis. This solid base gained him precious time. As ambitious as ever, Jean Rédélé wished to enter several cars for the 1963 Le Mans 24 Hours. The intention was good, but the C.S.I. (Commission Sportive Internationale – International Sporting Commission, the body which then wrote motorsport’s rules) changed the regulations for 1964, and Terry’s chassis was suddenly rendered obsolete. Bernard Boyer and Richard Bouleau, two friends who had been behind the Sirmac ‘Formule Junior’ chassis, took over the reins and, in just a few months, designed a chassis composed of two tubular frames linked by a central beam, as seen on the Berlinette which was already the Dieppe brand’s benchmark model. The suspension was based upon Len Terry’s design, with moulded Lotus hub carriers, marking something of a precursor to the new, recently-announced partnership between Alpine and Caterham. The powertrain was developed by Frenchman Amédée Gordini – known as the ‘wizard’ – based on the engine from the Renault 8 but benefitting from double overhead camshafts and twin Weber carburettors. All of this was carefully managed both technically and financially. In order to com- plete the project in the same assiduous manner, the design of the body was entrusted to an ingenious young technician who had trained under Romani at B.E.S.T. after working alongside André-Georges Claude on the famous ‘five-speed box’ for which Rédélé and his friend Louis Pons obtained a licence. That young man was Marcel Hubert, whose good sense, simplicity and interest in aerodynamics at a time when everybody else be- lieved power was the be-all-and-end-all would revolutionise the prototype world until the arrival of the era of computer-aided engineering. On April 7, after travelling from Dieppe, the first Alpine ‘prototype’ – named M63 for ‘Le Mans 1963’ – was unloaded at Le Mans where made its track debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours test day in the expert hands of José Ros- inski. Although he doubled up as driver, team director and Sport Auto magazine’s test-driver journalist, French Formule Junior Champion re- tained through it all a rare style that could not fail to impress Jean Rédélé. Powered by a small 996cc engine, Rosinski soon reached 220kph down the Mulsanne straight and set a superb benchmark lap time to prove the value of the ideas and the hard work of the striking blue machine’s de- signers. It was the beginning of a unique adventure. The ambitious Jean Rédélé was immediately won over and entered his new car in a round of the discipline’s prestigious world championship – and what a round it was: the awe-inspiring Nürburgring 1,000km, held in mid-May. As drivers, he despatched José Rosinski and the USA’s Lloyd Perry ‘Lucky’ Casner who was more accustomed to competing in big- engined cars and who had won the race in 1961 in the famous Maserati Type T-61 ‘Birdcage’. The fragile Alpine prototype (chassis 1701) – deemed "quite nervous" by its drivers – finished 11th overall and first in class, establishing a new lap record for its engine size for good measure. Point proved. No longer regarded as a newcomer, Alpine found itself the subject of sig- nificant publicity ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours which took place just one month later. Two more cars had been built in time for the French race, which meant it was a trio of M63s that turned up for scrutineering, under the proud gaze of Jean Rédélé. An astute businessman, Rédélé had signed a licensing production agreement in Brazil the previous year with Willys, a company that was already producing Dauphine Renaults and henceforth Alpines, marketed under the ‘Interlagos’ moniker. In the name of reciprocity, Willys’ development driver Christian ‘Bino’ Heins was entered in the race alongside José Rosinski in one of the M63s (chassis 1702). Unfortunately, the young Brazilian was tragically killed at 8:20pm on Saturday when he went off on some oil left by the broken sump of Bruce McLaren’s Aston Martin. He was the only driver ever to lose his life at the wheel of a factory Alpine. All three M63s were withdrawn. A fortnight later, the two surviving cars were entered for a race in Reims, finishing ninth and 11 th respectively as Rosinski once more triumphed in the ‘under 1,000cc ’ class. At the end of the 1963 season – Alpine’s first in prototype competition – Rosinski was crowned the discipline’s French Champion. From that point on, Alpine was recognised as a serious contender and the cars sporting the arrowed ‘A’ on their bonnet went on to compete at Sebring (Florida, USA), in the Targa Florio (Sicily, Italy) and at the Nürburgring in Germany’s Eifel Mountains. Subsequent versions of the constantly evolving car were named M63, M63B and M64, the latter being more refined than its forbears. It should be noted that these cars continue to compete today in historic meetings – and are still enjoying considerable success. 1.2 A LONG LIST OF ‘INDEX’ SUCCESSES Counting on the car’s streamlined body and small engine, Alpine notably targeted the ‘Efficiency Index’ (based on the ratio between fuel consump- tion and speed) and the ‘Performance Index’ (the ratio between distance covered and engine size). This target would be swiftly achieved when, in 1964, Irishman Henry Morrogh and French gentleman driver Roger Delageneste came close to completing 4,000 kilometres in the Le Mans 24 Hours, triumphing in the 1,150cc class (and setting a new lap record to boot) after using only 13.1 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, a performance which earned Alpine the Efficiency Index prize. Both the general public and the specialist media widely praised this feat – one that was not lost upon Renault which was edging noticeably closer to the Alpine brand. The same crew contested the 12 Hours of Reims, winning the 1,300cc category before finishing as class runners-up in the Paris 1,000km at the end of the season. The French Sportscar Championship crown – clinched this time by Roger Delageneste in the M64 – was just reward for Alpine’s efforts. For 1965, Alpine unveiled an evolution of its new prototype, christened the M65 and featuring a truncated rear with finned wings that immediately brought better stability to the car. With a small 1,100cc engine, Henri Grandsire – a recent French F3 Champion in an Alpine – exceeded 250kph at Le Mans before being forced to retire from the race. Payback came in style three weeks later when four Alpine prototypes crossed the finish line in formation in Reims. Now equipped with what would go on to become the famous 1,300cc Gordini powerplant, they achieved a top-four clean sweep in their class. Better still, on September 5, Lucien and Mauro Bianchi achieved the first outright victory for an Alpine prototype by triumphing in the notoriously difficult Nürburgring 500km in their 1,300cc M65 (chassis 1719).

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