Renault, Caterham to jointly develop sportscars

Renault’s hallowed Alpine sporting sub-brand will be revived after an almost two-decade hiatus thanks to a newly announced joint-venture between the French manufacturer and British niche brand Caterham.

The two companies said the joint-venture would deliver a new range of sportscars, reflecting their “similar passion and expertise in sports and motorsports vehicles”.

"The future vehicles will be distinctive, differentiated and carry the respective DNA of Alpine and Caterham Cars," said the companies.

The vehicles will be built at the Alpine plant in Dieppe, Normandy, in France, with the Caterham Group acquiring a 50 per cent stake in the Automobiles Alpine Renault company, currently wholly owned by Renault SAS.

Renault-Nissan supremo Carlos Ghosn said: “This innovative partnership with Caterham embodies a long-standing ambition: the creation of a sportscar with the Alpine DNA.” 

Renault chief operating officer Carlos Tavares added: “Our ambitions of reviving Alpine depended on our ability to find a partner in order to ensure the economic profitability of such an adventure.

“Right from the start, we wanted to place the Dieppe plant at the heart of the project. Today, through our partnership with Caterham Group, we can enter a new phase: the design of a vehicle that will embody the very essence of Alpine, a vehicle that will rekindle sporting passion once more. It could become a reality within the next three or four years.”

Caterham Group deputy chairman Dato Kamarudin Meranun said the tie-up with Renault would lead to a better range of Caterham models.

“Our original plans to develop a partnership with Lotus were put aside in spectacular and well documented style, but now we have a far better chance to develop Caterham Cars in partnership with Renault," he said.

“Our F1 team has already been working successfully with Renault Sport F1 since the start of the 2011 F1 season and I am thrilled that now we are adding to our track partnership by joining forces with Renault on the road.

“Together with Renault we have now created an opportunity for Caterham Cars to grow into the next stage of its development from a very well respected niche brand into a serious player on the global motoring map.“

The partnership will see Renault and Caterham combining their skills to build models in large and small series, and the objective for each company is to launch its own vehicle in the market within four years.

Alpine was founded in 1955 by racer and entrepreneur Jean Rédélé and the company’s first vehicle was the A106 – based on the platform and engine of the Renault 4 CV.

The brand’s cars have always been synonymous with nimble, lightweight designs that worked well on the road and on the track.

The best known Alpine is undoubtedly the iconic A110, which this year celebrates its 50th birthday and which chalked up wins in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1973 and 1974, and also claimed the world rally championship in 1973.

During its existence, Alpine sold 30,000 road-going sportscars and among its other sporting victories was the Le Mans 24-hour event in 1978.

Meantime, the DNA that runs through every Caterham can be traced back to the 1950s, when its first vehicle, the Seven, was designed.

Even though almost 60 years have elapsed since its inception, Caterham has retained its lightweight, minimalist formula and the brand’s offerings are renowned as giant-killers offering supreme bang-for-buck value.

Every weekend, more than a thousand competitors race Caterham vehicles on tracks around the world, from Silverstone and Brands Hatch to Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

The company says its new partnership with Renault will enable it to create a vehicle of even greater potential. This new vehicle will allegedly still possess the fundamental DNA of the Seven, which remains in production in Dartford, UK. 

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