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The Alpine A310GT: A French Answer To The Porsche 911

The Alpine A310 V6 was the considerably more powerful descendant of the earlier Alpine A310 four-cylinder model – a car that had been lauded for its looks and engineering but criticized for its low power output.

The A310 V6 solved this power deficit problem once and for all thanks to its new rear-mounted 2.7 liter PRV V6 engine producing 148 hp and pushing the A310 on to a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph). With this engine the performance of the car finally matched its looks.

Fast Facts – The Alpine A310 V6

When the Alpine A310 was first released in 1971 it had very large shoes to fill, it was to be the replacement for the legendary Alpine A110 – the World Rally Championship winning car that claimed countless race wins in rallies and circuit races across Europe.
The A310 featured an all-new design to better capture the style of the 1970s, though its architecture was closely related to its forbear – they both have tubular steel back bone chassis, rear-mounted engines, and lightweight fiberglass bodies.
The design of the new A310 was universally acclaimed when it was released in 1971, but no one could understand why it had been fitted with the underpowered Renault 17TS/Gordini four-cylinder engine producing approximately 125 bhp.
Alpine answered this criticism in 1976 with the release of the A310 V6, now powered by the more powerful PRV 2.7 liter V6 producing 148 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 161 ft lbs of torque at 3,000 rpm.

The Alpine A310 – A New Car For A New Decade

When the Alpine A310 was introduced in 1971 it had the unenviable task of replacing the Alpine A110 – one of the most successful rally cars of its age and a vehicle with styling loved by all.

The interior of the Alpine A310GT is arguably better appointed than its rivals from the period, looking like much more high-end, mid-engined cars.

As is often the case with sequels, it didn’t go well. At least at first. Considering the fact that Alpine had developed the A310 to compete with the Porsche 911, they didn’t quite get the engine right – opting for the familiar but underpowered 1.6 liter Renault 17TS/Gordini four-cylinder unit.

Even in highly-tuned form this engine was only turning out 125 bhp, and it lacked the torque needed to really get the A310 moving at the speed its styling suggested it was capable of.

The Alpine A310 V6: More Power = More Speed

The 1976 Alpine A310 V6 would receive some styling updates to distinguish it from its sibling, but the most important update was in the engine compartment around the back. The newly-developed 2.7 liter PRV V6 had been fitted along with a 5-speed gearbox

The PRV V6 had been developed as a joint-project between Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo – or P.R.V. This V6 was used extensively by a number of automakers including Alpine of course, the DeLorean DMC-12 was also powered by one, as was the Eagle Premier/Dodge Monaco, Volvo 260, Peugeot 504, Renault 25 V6 Turbo, and many others.

The 2.7 liter version of the PRV V6 fitted to the Alpine A310 V6 was producing 148 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 161 ft lbs of torque at 3,000 rpm – more than enough to really get the lightweight fiberglass-bodied car moving, with a new top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph).

The 2.7 liter version of the PRV V6 fitted to the Alpine A310 V6 produces 148 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 161 ft lbs of torque at 3,000 rpm.

This combination of a car with race-bred handling, a low kerb weight of 980 kgs (2,161 lbs), and a capable engine proved successful both on the showroom floor and on the track. Sales of the A310 began to increase, reaching 781 in France for 1979, its best sales year ever.

A year after its introduction in 1977 the A310 V6 would win both the French Rally Championship and it saw great success French motorsport as a Group 4 car.

Alpine kept the A310 V6 in production from 1976 until 1984, updating it and improving it incrementally over time. Today it remains relatively rare when compared to many sports cars of the era, and thanks to its use of largely Renault mechanical parts and that mass-produced PRV engine, it’s easy to source parts when needed.

The 1978 Alpine A310 V6 Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1978 model, just the second year to get the PRV V6 engine. The car is, fittingly, painted in Alpine White and it has a black leather interior which was re-trimmed by a Renault specialist a few years ago.

Interestingly this car has a few additions that imply it may have been used in amateur rally, including twin stopwatches and a timing device on there dashboard and the addition of those dual Cibie spotlights up front.

This Alpine is due to roll across the auction block with Historics in the UK on the 12th of March. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Historics

The post The Alpine A310GT: A French Answer To The Porsche 911 appeared first on Silodrome.

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For Sale: A “Brand New” 1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6

The 1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6 is a rare car, just were 1,107 built, however this one remains essentially brand new with just 110 miles on the odometer. The carpets still have the original plastic covering from the factory, and it still has its window sticker, sun visor sleeve, and build sheets.

Car and Driver Magazine would give the “Best Handling Car of 1979” award to the ’79 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6, and period dyno tests by the NHRA rated the output of the T/A 6.6 Pontiac 400 V8 at 260 to 280 (net) horsepower. Considerably more than the 220 hp claimed by Pontiac.

Fast Facts – The 1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6

The 1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6 is a car that was almost never made, it owes its existence to a decision to stockpile the high-performance 400 cubic inch Pontiac V8 after it was discontinued in 1978.
The Trans Am was a special higher-performance version of the Pontiac Firebird that first appeared in 1969. The Firebird had been developed to challenge the likes of the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro.
The “Trans Am” name comes from the racing series by the same name created by the SCCA in 1966, the original name was the “Trans-American Sedan Championship.” Races were held across America, in Canada, and in Mexico.
The 1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6 is powered by a 400 cubic inch (6.6) liter Pontiac V8 producing a claimed 220 bhp at 4,000 rpm and 320 lb ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. It was hailed for its handling and performance ability, and it remains a highly desirable late-70s muscle car.

The Firebird Trans Am

The Trans Am was first released in 1969 as a high-performance version of the Pontiac Firebird, which had been released three years earlier in 1966 to compete with pony cars like the Mustang, Camaro, and Cougar.

Both outside and in, this ’79 Trans Am is in time capsule condition, looking essentially identical to how it would have when it was first delivered over 40 years ago.

In order to turn a Firebird into a Trans Am, Pontiac would add a slew of upgrades to the suspension and drivetrain, with further changes to the bodykit and appearance.

Pontiac named the Trans Am after the Trans-American Sedan Championship, a new racing series developed by the SCCA starting in the year 1966. Despite the use of the name, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am didn’t initially compete in the series as its smallest available engine was still too large for the 5.0 liter limit to qualify.

Trans Am – A 1970s Legend

The Trans Am would become an American cultural touchstone in the 1970s, thanks to both its wild looks and its performance. Unusually for a pony car of the era it handled well, so well in fact that it famously won the “Best Handling Car of 1979” award from Car and Driver, irking many imported European sports car manufacturers.

Pontiac would keep the Trans Am in production over four generations between 1969 and 2002. It was used as the Official Pace Car for the 1979 Daytona 500, the 1980 Indianapolis 500, and for the 1981 Daytona 500.

Today the Trans Am demands a premium over standard Firebirds, and the iconic 1970s and 1980s-era Trans Ams are becoming more and more collectible within the wider classic car community.

The 400 cubic inch (6.6 liter) Pontiac V8 was listed as being capable of 220 bhp, however period tests by the National Hot Rod Association showed that it was producing close to 260-280 net horsepower.

The 1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6 Shown Here

The car you see here is almost certainly the lowest mileage and most original 1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6 in the world. It has just 110 miles on the odometer and as mentioned in the introduction, the carpets are still covered with protective plastic from the factory.

The 1979 T/A 6.6 was only available with the Borg-Warner Super T-10 4-speed manual transmission and the WS6 Handling Package. These features combined made the car one of the best handling Trans Ams up until that point in history.

This car is also accompanied by its original purchasing documents, a copy of the MSO, the original window sticker, the owner’s manual and sun visor sleeve, a 1979 Pontiac dealer brochure, GM license plate bracket, warranty brochure, and even the Delco radio manual.

Mecum will be offering this car at their Glendale Auction in mid-March, at the time of writing there’s no price guide listed, and you can click here if you’d like to read more about the car or register to bid.

Images courtesy of Mecum

The post For Sale: A “Brand New” 1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6 appeared first on Silodrome.

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Ferrari – Art Edition: A $30,000 Book The Comes In Its Own Stand

This book, simply titled “Ferrari,” is the Art Edition of this limited edition series with a price tag close to some secondhand Ferraris at $30,000 USD.

If you’d like to buy a new one you can’t, as all 250 of them sold out shortly after release.

Ferrari – Art Edition: The $30,000 Book

Ferrari, Art Edition was written by Giuseppe (Pino) Allievi he’s a motoring journalist and writer who has penned dozens of books and is a world renowned expert on all things Ferrari.
The book is 514 pages long and it includes exclusive stories and images from the official Ferrari Archives, and it goes into fine detail about the marque’s cars, victories, challenges, and its ongoing legacy.
The book is presented in a large stand designed by Australian industrial designer Marc Newson topped with a book case created to look like Ferrari cylinder heads with red crackle-finished valve covers reminiscent of the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa.
It’s presented on a sculptural bookstand with TIG-welded and chrome-plated steel legs that are an homage to the polished exhaust manifolds of Ferrari’s V12 road and race cars, with six pipes on each “bank.”

With a cost of $30,000 USD new, the Ferrari, Art Edition books sold out quickly – all 250 of them. The total amount raised was $7.5 million USD.

When this book was released in 2018 it was offered in two variants: the first was the “Collector’s Edition” and 1,697 books were offered. The second was the “Art Edition” with just 250 being offered – the total number came to 1,947 – as Ferrari was founded in the year 1947.

All books were sold out in record time, despite the lofty $30,000 USD cost of the Art Edition books, there are far more than 250 Ferrari owners in the world after all, and none of them are short of funds.

We do rarely see the books come up for resale as is the case here, and interest is always strong as Ferrari collectors are partial to the idea of having one of these books on display in their collection.

The Ferrari book you see here is one of the 250 Art Edition books, it retains the original delivery crate for safe storage and transportation, as well as the white reading gloves, and the pre-launch “prelude” book. It remains in perfect condition, with no wear or damage.

It’s currently being offered for sale on Collecting Cars in a live online auction, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.