REINTRODUCTION OF THE ALPINE BRAND

Late last year Renault and Caterham Group announced their decision to join forces in pursuit of a common project: to design develop and build future sports cars. This agreement reflects a similar passion and expertise in sports and competition cars. The future vehicles will be distinctive, differentiated, and carry the respective DNA of Alpine and Caterham Cars, the automotive division of Caterham Group. They will be built at the Alpine plant in Dieppe, Normandy, in France.

Following this announcement of the reintroduction of the Alpine brand and the founding of Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham, an advisory board has been created. This will be under the authority of Renault’s Chief Operating Officer Carlos Tavares.

The board’s mission will be to advise and assist the senior management of both Renault and Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham regarding the brand’s positioning and to monitor the evolution of the brand’s upcoming model from its initial design until its launch.

The members of the advisory board have been selected with regard to their respective areas of expertise, personal knowledge and involvement in the history of the brand and its products.

The members of the Alpine Advisory Board are:

• Jean-Charles Rédelé (Renault dealer and son of the brand’s founder, Jean Rédelé)
• Jacques Cheinisse (former sales manager and sporting director of Alpine)
• Jean-Pierre Limondin (former Alpine engineer with special responsibility for the production of Alpine cars under licence)
• Alain Serpaggi (former rally driver and former Alpine test driver)
• Bernard Darniche (one of the Alpine rally team’s famous ‘musketeers’ who helped Alpine win the inaugural World Rally Championship for Manufacturers in 1973)
• Michèle Mouton (Alpine rally driver from 1974 until 1977)
• Hervé Charbonneaux (collector of Alpines and driver of the brand’s cars in Historic races)
• Olivier Lamirault (Renault dealer in Chartres, France, and heavily involved in the marketing of the Alpine adventure as a former Alpine, and a regular driver of Alpines in Historic races)
• Chris Vissher (Renault dealer and Alpine and Renault Sport specialist in Rotterdam, Netherlands)
• Tom Mautner (former Renault and Alpine dealer and collector, UK)
From Renault, the following will also sit on the advisory board, in addition to Carlos Tavares:

• Philippe Klein (Executive Vice President, Corporate Planning, Product Planning & Programmes)
• Christian Pouillaude (Brand Director, Renault)
• Bernard Ollivier (CEO, Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham)
• Jean-Jacques Delaruwière (representing Renault Communications, and responsible for the advisory board’s administration).

In principle, the board will meet twice a year and the first meeting will be held in a few weeks’ time.

Source: Renault
Special offer! Alpine & Renault – The Sports Prototypes – Volume 1: 1963-1969 By Roy Smith.
Sports prototype racing is about endurance, for the drivers, for the teams and for the companies involved. In this story we see the effort, the blood, the sweat and the tears, reputations won and lost, life and also death. The cars, some of the most evocative ever seen, are described in detail. We see stunningly beautiful, creative, slippery aerodynamic designs that allowed Alpine to take many class wins and outright victories in championship racing, from 1963 to 1969. You will feel the passion and dedication for racing from interviews with the men involved, illustrated with dramatic period photographs. More info.

Special offer! Alpine & Renault – The Sports Prototypes – Volume 2: 1973-1978 By Roy Smith. Sports prototype racing is about endurance – for the drivers, for the teams, and for the companies involved. Under the new management at Renault, and with assistance from Elf, the state-owned French oil company, Alpine made a remarkable return to sports car racing, vividly described here along with the reputations that were won and lost. More info.

Coming soon! Amédée Gordini – a true racing legend By Roy Smith.

This is the story of a man, a team, and their life and times, as well as a complete record of all their achievements and failures. It logs the financial and personal cost of racing in the prewar and postwar periods. It tells of how the mighty car company Renault became involved with them in the late 1950s, and how Amedee Gordini became known throughout the world as one of the greatest engine tuners of his time. More info.