Alpine Renault - by Roy P Smith (Hardcover)

About the Book

The beautiful design of the Alpine Renault 'berlinettes' and their extraordinary performances in competition made them the cars to beat in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This book brings to life the efforts, successes and failures of the engineers and drivers that worked with the cars, and explores the berlinettes' development and history in fascinating detail.

Book Synopsis

The berlinettes were fragile, beautifully designed, lightweight road rockets. For the first time, Alpine Renault enthusiasts around the world can read the complete history of them in English.

This book is not just for owners of Alpine Renaults, but for all those interested in rallying and its spectacular period of rapid development in the late 1960s and early '70s. Hear from the men who built the cars, some of the great drivers who became famous driving them, the team manager, the Redele family - creators of the car - and the mechanics who kept the cars going. The story covers the concept, the first cars, the early road cars, and their entry into competition on the European rallying circuit, with full charted documentary details.

The Alpine A110 berlinette was a car born to compete, born to win. This is its story.

Review Quotes

"this work is an absolute cracker and, frankly, if you're a berlinette enthusiast, then the volume's 242 action- and photograph-packed pages are worth every cotton-picking penny of the asking price! ... It is doubtful whether any other author in the future will be able to improve on the overall excellence of this offering historically or photographically and, because of the limited number of copies published and of the esoteric nature of the subject, it is unlikely that the title will remain in print for long. In other words ... don't just sit there and hum and haw. If you wouldn't mind having a copy - even if it's only for the plethora of fine b w and colour photographs - then just do it." - Renotes

"A great look at the creation, development and success of one of the classic rally cars of all time and is a must-have for all Alpine fans." - Daily Express/Sunday Express

"In view of the author's previous books on related matters ... and his most particular fondness for the Alpine (he even owned one), this new book was inevitable. New it may be but it was six years in the making [... this] has only benefited it because the writing is more expansive, more fleshed out, there's more mood, tone, and context. It is an engaging book to just read, not merely to study or consult for specific morsels of micro detail.As Smith's previous books, this new one would have advanced the body of literature simply by being the first English-language treatment in book form. But it is more than just a soup-to-nuts compilation of known snippets of information previously scattered across magazines and news reports. He has, as always, dug deep and interviewed people directly involved with the cars, unearthed new photos, and gathered competition data (but only from "important events"). Some of the archival material is certainly new to the record." - The Flying Lady

About the Author

Roy Smith is a retired company director who has a lifelong passion for motorsport, and, since 1968, Alpine Renault in particular. He began writing in the 1960s for club magazines, mainly interviews with the notables of the time. A 40-year business career in sales and marketing developed an attention for detail that was required for the preparation of his published works Alpine & Renault - the sports prototypes (two volumes), Alpine & Renault- the development of the first Turbo Formula 1 cars and AMEDEE GORDINI - a true racing legend. As a journalist he has written many historic motorsport and Alpine Renault-related articles for various magazines in Europe and USA. He is the UK historic correspondent for the French magazine Retro Passion and the Alpine Renault magazine, Mille Miles. He also contributes to several websites. His aim is to provide the newcomer and enthusiasts alike with a "good read," as well as being technically informative. Widely acclaimed in reviews, he was presented with the Guild of Motoring Writers Mercedez Benz award and the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy in 2010.