Tag Archives: Grandsire

The Short One – Alpine A220 #1731

Following the mixed fortunes of the M series and A210 prototypes Alpine built from 1963 to 1966 the Dieppe based concern decided that the future lay in the new top level Championnat Internationale des Marques for prototype sports cars restricted to using 3 litre / 183 cui motors.

Accordingly in 1967 Alpine built a 3 litre V8 motor with twin overhead chain driven cams and two 1500 cc / 91.5 cui Renault sourced cylinder blocks sharing a common crank.

Alpine A220, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

The A211 chassis for the new engine was a beefed up version of the A210 Len Terry design using larger diameter tubes and similar suspension.

Two A211’s were entered for the 1967 Le Mans 24 hours, but neither arrived and subsequently only one, chassis #1727, appears to have been raced scoring a best third place, three laps in arrears, with Patrick Depailler and André de Cortanze sharing the wheel at Monza in 1968.

Alpine A220, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

Undeterred Alpine revised the A211 in 1968 to become the A220, distinguished by mid mounted radiators ahead of the rear wheels, stronger suspension and larger ventilated disc brakes.

Today’s featured A220 was the second to be built and completed in April 1968 and was taken to the Le Mans Test weekend in April where Mauro Bianchi and Roger Delageneste recorded the 4th best time.

Alpine A220, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

#1731 retired from it’s first two races, at Zeltweg Mauro Bianchi and André de Cortanze retired with an oil leak and Le Mans where Jean Guichet and Jean-Pierre Jabouille retired with alternator failure after 16 hours.

Jean Guichet and Henri Grandsire are believed to have driven this car to a 4th place finish in the 1968 Paris 1000kms.

Alpine A220, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

At the 1968 Moroccan Grand Prix André Guelfi retired #1731 with engine failure and in 1969 1000km race at Spa Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Henri Grandsire are believed to have retired the car with either gearbox or damper failure.

Jean-Luc Thérier and Jean-Pierre Nicolas qualified #1731 19th on the grid with a time of 3m 45s at Le Mans but retired, as did the other three A220’s, after 12 hours with head gasket failure.

Jean Vinatier then competed with #1731 twice recording a 3rd best time on the Chamrousse Hillclimb and 2nd place finish at Nogaro.

Finally Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Jean-Claude Guénard retired today’s featured car, seen at last years Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham, from the Critérium Des Cévennes with alternator failure.

#1731 is unique among A220’s because the aerodynamic tail was shortend in July 1969 and road registered in anticipation of taking part in events like the Tour d’France, plans for which never came to fruition as Alpine withdrew from prototype sports car racing until 1974 when it’s return culminated in winning the 1978 Le Mans 24 Hour race with a the A442 B.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Short One” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be paying a visit to Bournemouth. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

166 mph From 79 cui – Alpine M65 #1719

In 1963 Alpine started building a series of Renault powered and sponsored prototype race cars that included the M63, M64 and two 1965 M65 prototype racers.

One Len Terry designed M65 chassis, #1718 was powered by a 1149 cc / 70 cui Renault engine and the other today’s featured chassis #1719 was by a 1296 cc / 79 cui engine from the same source.

Alpine M65, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

#1719’s known history covers just eight events in 1965 and 1966 starting with the Le Mans Test weekend in April 1965 when Mauro Bianchi, Roger Delageneste, Jean Vinatier, Roger Masson and Jean-Pierre Hanrioud all took turns at the wheel and recorded 15th best time overall, fastest in the 79 cui class.

#1718 was taken to the 1965 Targa Florio for Mauro Bianchi and Henri Grandsire to drive but they failed to finish after the car was fire damaged as the result of an accident.

Alpine M65, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Mauro and Henri were entrusted with #1719 for the 1965 Le Mans 24 hours where they qualified 33rd with a time of 4m 20 seconds but retired with gearbox failure after completing just 32 laps.

Mauro was then joined by brother Lucien Bianchi for the 500kms race at the Nurburgring which was restricted to vehicles with engines no larger than 1.3 litres / 79 cui and they won the event.

Alpine M65, Portron/Frankowski, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

At the 1965 Albi GP Mauro drove to a 3rd place finish solo before the car was renamed an Alpine A210 for the 1966 season.

Mauro and Henri Grandsire retired from the 1000km race at Monza with a recalcitrant 1.3 litre / 79 cui engine.

Alpine M65, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

At Le Mans the car was fitted with a 1 litre / 61 cui motor and was driven by André de Cortanze and Jean-Pierre Hanrioud who completed 118 laps before the water pump failed.

#1719’s final appearance was at the 1967 Nurburgring 500kms where Roger Delageneste won the prototype class, but finished second to the similar capacity Abarth 1300 OT of Ernst Furtmayr which was running in the Sports Car class.

At Le Mans in 1965 #1719, seen in these photo’s at Goodwood Festival of Speed last year where Hughes Portron and Piotr Frankowski shared the driving, with just 130 hp recorded a top speed of 268 kph / 166 mph.

Thanks for joining me on this “166 mph From 79 cui” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be returning to Hullavington. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share