A short history of a very important Alpine Renault.
Text by Roberto Motta
Photos: Renault Internal Archive / Press
While Roy Smith provided an interesting history on one specific Alpine A-441, (read story), Roberto Motta traces the development of the Renault Alpine Gordini A440 and 441 two liter endurance cars designed for the hotly contested 1971 2 liter European Championship and the 2 liter category of the World Sports Prototype Manufacturers’ Championship.
In ’71 the Alpine A110 had won the Monte Carlo Rally and the Alpine F3 successes proved that they could beat the British manufacturers. Alpine Renault decided to participate in endurance racing and to compete in the European Championship Sports 2000. But what was needed was a new engine that could power the Alpines.
The new 2 liter European Championship series met with great interest at both Renault and Elf and caught the attentions of Jean Claude Terrarmorsi and Claude Haardt, responsible respectively for competitions and Renault engines. Renault did not have a great deal of trust in the Alpine venture and were already involved in managing the Gordini works. [Read more…] about The Alpine A440/441: A Brief Look at a Winner