Closing date June issue -> April 21
Most practical classic: Renault Alpine A310 according to Mick Santifort
Renault Alpine A310. Say that name out loud and you'll immediately hear the snickering of self-proclaimed experts. French engineering? Probably unreliable. PRV engine? A disaster. Practicality? Come on. Mick Santifort has been hearing about it for years and brushes it aside with visible glee. He drives his A310 as if it's the most normal thing in the world; every day, with his family and all.
Text and photos: Aart van der Haagen
In 2016, he did something those around him didn't quite understand. He traded in his Porsche 996 for a Renault Alpine A310 from a previous generation. "Everyone laughed at me," he says. Still, the decision was easy. The Alpine was simply too cool to pass up. A proper test drive was barely possible.
Moreover, it wasn't just any old example. Santifort bought the very last Renault Alpine A310 registered in the Netherlands, while its successor – the GTA – was already in the showroom. Renault Netherlands imported the car via Switzerland for the director of Vrij Uit Reizen, who insisted on the discontinued model. A beautiful piece of Dutch Alpine history.
Reliability of the Renault Alpine A310
When you mention the Renault Alpine A310, the PRV engine quickly comes to mind. In the V6 version, it's the 2664 cc V6, developed by Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo. In the A310 V6, it initially produced 150 hp; after the 1981 update, power rose to 160 hp thanks to changes in carburetion and ignition, among other things. The engine was also found in heavier cars like the Peugeot 604 and Volvo 264, where mileage figures of four to five hundred thousand were not uncommon.
Santifort: "People are complaining about the PRV, but that's ridiculous. Provided you start with a good foundation, the maintenance costs are really manageable. I've done 50.000 kilometers in less than ten years and haven't really experienced anything out of the ordinary. It costs me roughly a third of what I spent on my Porsche."
That everyday character helps. No exotic, high-revving engine, but solid, relatively simple technology. The Renault Alpine A310 proves here that image and reality can be two different worlds.
Much nicer chassis
When it was introduced in 1976, the Alpine A310 V6 had a completely different rear suspension than the four-cylinder version. Independent suspension all around with double wishbones and coil springs—a world of difference from the previous rear torsion bar setup. The result was much more neutral handling.
Santifort can compare. He's driven several Porsches, including a 911 Carrera 3.2. "Yes, it might steer a bit more precisely and is more stable above 200 km/h. In an A310, it gets more exciting. But on winding roads, the Porsche is more likely to surprise you with lift-off oversteer. In my Alpine, a Phase II from after the 1981 update, that's never happened to me."
That Phase II is relevant. In 1981, the Renault Alpine A310 V6 received a significant technical update, including improved suspension tuning and detail changes that improved stability at higher speeds. Santifort also fitted new Michelin TRX tires, which were original equipment at the time. Expensive, but decisive for its character.
Practical classic with character
And then there's the accusation that a Renault Alpine A310 is impractical. Two seats up front, two small rear seats, low entry, and a compact front trunk. On paper, not exactly a family car.
In practice, it turns out differently. "Groceries? Just in the backseat. Taking the family and the dog to the beach? No problem. I can show you pictures with three teenage girls on board." Santifort is almost 1,90 meters tall and says she never felt confined in the low cabin.
On the highway, the Renault Alpine A310 is typically French: comfortably suspended, relatively quiet, with a V6 that runs primarily on torque. On narrow dyke roads, according to Santifort, it transforms into a small rally car. You have to get used to it, but then the pace can be surprisingly high, especially on dry asphalt.
It's precisely that contrast that makes the A310 so compelling. A plastic body on a steel backbone chassis, a robust PRV V6 in the rear, independent suspension all around, and a weight of just over 1000 kilos. Not a pure supercar, not a tame GT, but something in between.
When a car journalist asked on Facebook what the most practical classic car was, the usual names came up: Volvo Amazon, Mercedes W123; that kind of thing. Santifort dryly replied: Renault Alpine A310. And honestly, after his story, that suddenly doesn't sound so crazy at all.
(Some additional photos can be found below.)
Dear Rene, I meant it cynically, and then I explained: Mercedes and Peugeot have been making so many diesels since 18. But unfortunately, the "modern, environmentally friendly" ones aren't as good as they used to be, with this exception:
The 220-250 CDI. Just look at the odometer of a taxi with the same engine, whether it's in Greece, Spain, or anywhere else—I've seen 5, 6, even 9 tons. And in Sweden, for example, there's a Volvo (when they were still Volvos!), an Amazon with 1,1 or 1,2 million km with an unreconditioned engine (gasoline). As I wrote earlier: both motorcycles and cars in recent years: take a Toyota! Well, nice, right?
Read more carefully, the owner is almost 1,9 m tall and that fits perfectly.
Those Alpine boots are nice, but if you're taller than 1,75m you won't fit in them, as I recall.
Cool A310, registration number March 1985. I barely knew about the first four-cylinder examples from the 16th and 17th centuries until I spotted a poster on the wall of a friend from high school. Six headlights, no less. The 1976 update was designed by Robert Opron, who also designed the Fuego and 25 for the Regie. I can still remember the hordes of Alpines that appeared everywhere on and around the Route Napoleon during a holiday to the Cote d'Azur in the late 1980s. Overtaking on a blind bend, up a hill, or just before a traffic island? No problem. 150 km/h on just under 100,000 km/h empty is still plenty, and 220 km/h seems like a tall order with that tailgate in the back.
Always this whining about Germans, coincidentally, Renault is selling the most cars right now. Besides, the 996 is the ugliest of all the 911s (only the very first one is nice). And the Germans can suck their arrogant ass, because a. the cars that are beautiful are designed by foreign designers, and b. the cunning Chinese spies will crush them, c. I drive a Mercedes, but the 250 with the 220cdi, which can go over a million km. Besides, the French dare more and aren't conservative (at least in design). Just look at... Citroën !
And what a beautiful cannon it is, just like the very first Alpine@Alpine. Have fun with it!
Always this whining about being German?? And then you write that you need a Mercedes to travel a million kilometers. Last time I checked, a Mercedes actually came from Germany.
I owned a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (964) for almost 28 years, and few sports cars can match its quality, especially French ones. Nevertheless, the French also make fantastic cars, and this Alpine A310 is certainly one of them.