1978 RENAULT-ALPINE A442B

JEAN RÉDÉLÉ, WHO’D FOUNDED the French sports- and racing-car maker Alpine in 1955, dreamed of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He entered Alpines, always powered by small-displacement Renault-Gordini engines, beginning in 1963. The little Alpines took seven class victories through the Sixties, but they never threatened to win overall. That is, until the mid-to-late Seventies, when Alpine, under the auspices of Renault, returned to Le Mans with a series of prototypes. Powered by a Renault-Gordini turbocharged 2.0-liter V-6, the A442 pumped out about 500 hp. And with the longtail body, it was capable of 224 mph on the Mulsanne. As Renault prepared to go Formula 1 racing with its turbo engine, the demands and resources to nab the much-sought-after Le Mans victory compounded. In 1978, Renault-Alpine entered four…

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Road & Track (Digital) - 1 Issue, December/January 2025

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