ALPINE AT LE MANS 1965-1966

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THE DEBUT IN ENDURANCE

Alpine began its endurance career on the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. A small constructor that was to become a big name.

Asking whether Alpine had ever won the 24 Hours of Le Mans would invariably elicit the response that the Dieppe-based brand was at the top in the 1970s. Indeed, at that time, in 1978, the A442B driven by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and Didier Pironi won the overall classification.

But few remember that Alpine's Le Mans adventure began in 1963, and that the first victories date back to that period.

At the time, only two television channels (in black and white) and newspapers broadcasted the information in France. The organisers came up with the idea of creating several different classifications to make the world's biggest endurance motor racing event, created by Charles Faroux in 1923, even more attractive.

The M65 of Mauro Bianchi and Henri Grandsire would only complete 32 laps in 1965 when the gearbox failed. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Renault D.R. / Archives et Collections

The early days

Alpine's adventure in the 24 Hours of Le Mans started in 1963.

It is worth mentioning that, at the time, the Pompidou government was looking to revive the laurels of French motor racing. Subsidies were approved and Rédélé used the opportunity to get closer to the racetracks, although Alpine was just starting to establish a name for itself in road rallies.

While victory was still the objective, outright victory was not expected due to the small displacement of their engines. The three cars entered had a 1.0 litre Gordini, unable to compete in power against the 3.0 and 4.0 litre Ferraris, the 4.7 litre AC Cobra and the 3.8 litre Jaguar.

While an Aérojet René Bonne with a Gordini 1.1-litre engine finished a splendid 11th, the M63s quickly dropped out of the race. Nevertheless, this debut was to be an enriching one, even if it was a race with very few options. The death of the driver Christian Heins, Alpine's importer in Brazil, was to be mourned by Jean Rédélé.

Grandsire and Cella finished, with their 1300 cm3 A210 in an exceptional ninth place overall in 1966. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Renault D.R. / Archives et Collections

1965: the debacle

After the class victory (1100 cm3) and the 1964 victory in the energy efficiency index by Roger de Lageneste and Irishman Henry Morrogh, expectations for the 32nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans were high. No less than six Alpines were entered at Le Mans in 1965: a 1,108 cc M64 (No. 55 Cheinisse/Hanrioud), two 1,296 cc M65s (No. 46 Bianchi/Grandeire and No. 47 de Lageste/Vinatier) and a 1,001 cc M63B with a tubular chassis (No. 61 Monneret/Bouharde). Three of them were entered in the Prototypes category, while Cheinisse/Hanrioud lined up in GT with the "Sauterelle" or "Grasshopper", a GT4 chassis on which an M64 body was mounted.

The strategy was decided by Rédélé and he was confident of winning the title, an important one for him: a new triumph in the energy index, supposedly favourable to the small cylinder capacities. However, the #46 only completed 32 laps before the gearbox gave up in the third hour, followed by successive withdrawals of the #50 (engine), #51 (cooling), #61 (ignition), #55 (clutch) and #47 (distribution). A real debacle that would push the "M" cars into retirement, especially as the M64 was not as quick and stable as the M63. The A110 was just starting to make a name in rallying? Right, but it was going to have a big brother to test the tarmac of Le Mans. As a matter of course, to be called the A210.

1966: the "sharpening" ...

The year 1966 was to be a remarkable one at Le Mans due to several aspects. First, the race itself was very monotonous, with Ford's overwhelming dominance over rival Ferrari from early on. Secondly, there was the disastrous situation: out of 55 cars at the start, only 15 made it to the finish. Among them, only four French cars, and all of them Alpines!

The new A210 was an evolution of the M65, retaining its central beam chassis and tubular frame. The suspension had been modified, the rear wheels were faired to improve aerodynamics, two air intakes had been added above the wings on the windscreen base, the 1,292 cm3 engine was slightly deflated in favour of longevity and fuel consumption, and the engine was slightly downsized to improve fuel economy, The Hewland gearbox in particular, the cause of so many problems the previous year, was replaced by a Porsche. Six A210s started on the grid, although only the No. 55 of Hanrioud/De Cortanze was equipped with the 1,005 cm3 Gordini (from which the 1,300 would originate), all aiming for victory in the energy index. In spite of this armada and the experience accumulated since 1963, there was an anxiety to detract from the tricolour.

... and the jackpot!

According to Henri Grandsire, who drove for Alpine from 1964 to 1969, Jean Rédélé was very attentive to his drivers. He didn't give them any team orders, they all decided on their race strategy. The family atmosphere that prevailed in the grandstands, did not, however, disguise the excitement. In the tests, Mauro Bianchi did a lap at 201 km/h on average, with points at over 270 km/h!

For the first time, a 1,300 cc car had exceeded the fateful milestone of a lap at an average of 200 km/h. The work on the aerodynamics had paid off. There was a steady stream of withdrawals on the track, and the small displacement cars were not spared. Shortly before halfway through the race, the water pump of the 55th car gave up: it was a withdrawal. At the 18th hour, it was the gearbox of the No. 47 (Toivonen/Jansson) that failed. There was growing concern in the Alpine workshop, and vigilance was redoubled, with every passing being monitored from the grandstands.

Although the gap to their rivals was narrowing, the four A210s remained on the track and were performing quite well. At three o'clock on Sunday 19 June 1966, Rédélé and his entire team, including Amédée Gordini of course, were overjoyed: Henri Grandsire and Leo Cella finished an excellent ninth overall, one lap ahead of the 3.3 litre V12-engined Ferrari 275 GTB driven by the Francorchamps team. Immediately followed by the Alpine group of No. 44 (Cheinisse/de Lagenste), No. 45 (Glassmaker/Bouhard) and No. 46 (Bianchi/Vinatier). It was Grandsire who took the victory in the 1,150-1,300 cm3 category, and above all the classification for the energy index was monopolised by Alpine finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th. The winning car of Cheinisse/De Lageneste consumed 14.8 litres per 100 km, with an average speed of 171.8 km/h over the whole 24 hours.

The throttle was fully depressed for the majority of the circuit, and the long straight at Hunaudières (almost 6 kilometres) was a real waste of fuel. The consequences for Alpine were enormous, and sales of the Berlinette were to take off from that point onwards.

For more information...

Renault 5 GT Turbo, a brief history

The R5 GT Turbo built by Alpine is an important milestone in the tradition of R5 sports cars: a car that is both practical and full of vitality. During the 1970s, the first derivatives of small popular cars were produced for sporting purposes. They included the 4CV and the R8 Gordini, but these were either ‘customer competition’ cars produced in small numbers or genuine sports cars. The ‘GTI’ era, on the other hand, is about cars with a strong character and formidable performance, yet comfortable and family-friendly.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI of 1976 represented this era, but the R5 Alpine, which produced almost 100 bhp, was introduced in the same year, followed in 1982 by the R5 Alpine Turbo producing 110 bhp.

The second generation R5, known to all as the Supercinq, arrived in 1984. And the sporty version introduced the following year was simply called... the R5 GT Turbo!

The R5 GT Turbo of 1985; the red piping was used at the time for the sports versions of series produced cars.© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Renault D.R. / Archives et Collections

Well-proven technology

By 1985, there were at least ten versions of the new R5 on offer. The tenth was the GT Turbo. The heir to the Alpine range of R5s, the GT Turbo was, above all, a model with a strong identity: It had nothing more to do with the R5s than the basic Supercinq had to do with a first-generation R5. Some elements of the R11 Turbo, introduced the previous year, were adopted: the general architecture, the platform (the base of the chassis) and the transversal positioned engine.

This is one of several versions of the R8 Major's ‘Cléon fonte’ engine, more similar to the one used in the R11 Turbo than the one that powered the former R5 Alpine Turbo. Nevertheless, the differences are noticeable when driving, with the Supercinq's character being more pronounced. In fact, the Supercinq is as characterful as a turbocharged engine can possibly be. It's also sportier, mainly because of its higher operating pressure (0.7 bar compared to 0.63). With its 115 bhp, this engine is almost at the level of the Golf GTI, the benchmark in this field.

Interior of the 1988 model: the instrumentation is fairly complete but the overall impression is austere despite the three-spoke steering wheel. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Renault D.R. / Archives et Collections

Sport

Since its introduction in 1989, the R5 GT Turbo has been inseparable from its official driver, the Frenchman Alain Oreille, who became World Rally Champion in Group N, the category reserved for series production cars: an excellent result for the Régie, who initially aimed to win only the French Championship! The following year, the GT Turbo repeated the feat, again with Oreille, while Jean Ragnotti took the French Championship title! A string of victories followed, a winning formula that would no doubt have continued had Renault continued with the R5 GT Turbo.

The R5's most dazzling success was undoubtedly its victory in the Rallye de Côte d'Ivoire in 1989: in Group N, of course, but also on the scratch, beating all the prototypes!

To celebrate these victories, Renault launched a limited edition of just 2,000 units, known as the R5 GT Turbo ‘Oreille’, in 1989 and 1990. Although not as famous as the Golf GTI or the 205 GTI, the R5 GT Turbo used different methods to compete, while remaining a credible adversary both on the road and in competition.

The Supercinq

During the second half of the 1970s, when the time came to think about a future replacement for the R5, the subject was not an insignificant one, as the little city car accounted for around a third of Renault's sales. Failure would be catastrophic. The brand's future was at stake. One of the R5's strong points was its appeal to all segments of the population. In 1984, Marcello Gandini's design produced the desired result: the new R5, whose unofficial name of Supercinq was soon adopted, remained very similar in appearance to its predecessor, maintaining its appeal. However, everything about it was new: the chassis was taken from the R9, the engine was positioned transversely, etc. For twelve years, the Supercinq was Renault's pride and joy, to the extent that it would remain so for another six full years even after the introduction of its replacement, the Clio, in 1990.

THE DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATIONS AT LE MANS

Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans for many is all about crossing the finish line first and ahead of all the other competitors. This is called the overall distance classification or "scratch". It means all categories combined. As with rallying, classes by displacement also exist, which enables cars that are not aiming for the scratch victory to be lined up.

In a more subtle way, however, there are the "performance index" and the "energy efficiency index". The former is an arithmetic calculation between average speed and displacement. Whoever obtains the best ratio is proclaimed the winner of this category. The energy index is even more confusing: it is established by calculating the ratio between the average speed and the total consumption "weighted" by displacement.