Alpine A310 History
The A110's larger successor — a mid-engined grand tourer that gained a V6 in 1976 to rival the Porsche 911.
Photo: “Paris - RM Sotheby’s 2018 - Alpine-Renault A310 1600 VF - 1973 - 001.jpg” by Thesupermat / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
History
Presented at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, the A310 was designed to take Alpine upmarket and into the sports-GT segment, offering a larger, more comfortable cabin than the compact Berlinette. Early cars used a Renault 1647 cc four-cylinder engine — the same family as the Renault 16/17 — and a distinctive six-headlight front end.
The pivotal update came in 1976: Robert Opron restyled the A310 with a sleeker nose and fitted the 2,664 cc PRV V6 (the joint Peugeot-Renault-Volvo engine), boosting power to 150 PS (148 hp) and giving the car a genuine 220 km/h (137 mph) top speed. This V6 variant repositioned the A310 as a credible rival to the Porsche 911.
An ultra-rare run of approximately 27 'Pack GT Kit Boulogne' cars were built with a 2.9-litre PRV bored out to 193 PS (190 hp) via triple Weber carburettors. Production ended in 1984 after 11,616 total units, making way for the GTA.
Generations
Four-cylinder (1971–1976) · 4-cylinder / six-headlight
Photo: “Paris - RM Sotheby’s 2018 - Alpine-Renault A310 1600 VF - 1973 - 001.jpg” by Thesupermat / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Original A310 with the Renault four-cylinder and distinctive six-headlight nose.
1973 Photo: “Paris - RM Sotheby’s 2018 - Alpine-Renault A310 1600 VF - 1973 - 001.jpg” by Thesupermat / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
V6 (1976–1984) · V6 PRV
Photo: “1979 Renault Alpine A310 BS O24.jpg” by MrWalkr / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Restyled by Robert Opron with the PRV V6 and a cleaner, more aerodynamic front end; the definitive A310.
1979 Photo: “1979 Renault Alpine A310 BS O24.jpg” by MrWalkr / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
1984 Photo: “1984 Alpine A310.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Body styles
- Coupé
Notable special editions & performance variants
Pack GT Kit Boulogne
Approximately 27 ultra-rare cars with a 2.9-litre PRV bored and carburetted to 193 PS — the highest-output A310.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Alpine A310
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.