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Rumormill: Renault Alpine could be based off Nissan 370Z
We've been following the developments of Renault's revival of the Alpine marque since earlier this year, and its been confirmed that the first of several new models will debut sometime in 2010. From the beginning, Renault made it clear that Alpine would benefit from dedicated models, rather than rebadged or re-engineered Renaults. Earlier reports suggested something mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive and similar in size to the Mazda Miata or last-generation Toyota MR2, but a new report suggests that Nissan might be tapped to provide a platform and drivetrain.
The director of Renaultsport supposedly sat down with CarTribe to discuss the future of the automaker's high-performance offerings and when asked if a new Alpine model could be based off the Nissan GT-R, he denied it, instead hinting at the use of Nissan's FM platform that underpins the G37 coupe, G35 sedan and upcoming Nissan 370Z. The new model could be more geared towards track duty, with a serious diet and some tweaks to the drivetrain.
While the revival of Alpine is primarily a way for Renault to capitalize on its participation in F1, a Nissan-based model would all but negate such an effort. Then again, with 60 new models expected to come from Renault and Nissan in the next four years, the automaker will use any platform it can get its hands on to expand its lineup.
[Source: CarTribe]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Neil 5:15PM (7/26/2008)
Kind of reminds me of the old Toyota MR-S. Hope Renault does the car right....good handling, power to weight ratio, etc.
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nastinupe 7:41PM (7/26/2008)
Oh wow... a Renault Cayman
2007RC46SP2 7:27PM (7/26/2008)
+1
Bungle 7:46PM (7/26/2008)
Yeah, it kind of looks like an MR-S did the nasty with a Porsche Cayman.
Mike Lee 5:15PM (7/26/2008)
This would be cool. I remember the original Renault Alpine in the 1960s and even saw one in California once. The illustration looks like a faithful copy (updated of course) of the prototype and with Nissan mechanicals the car should be more than reliable. It's nice to see Renault possibly returning to the hot performance club, and hopefully the Alpine will get the go-ahead for production. Too bad we won't see them in this country.
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stefan 5:43PM (7/26/2008)
please don't, i love nissan but i hate renault.
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Kaveh 6:05PM (7/26/2008)
The orginal ones were mid engine, are the new ones going to be front engine, no fun.
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zamafir 6:25PM (7/26/2008)
the originals are also gorgeous. one makes a frequent appearance at cars n coffee in Irvine and typically garners most of my attention and compact flash car's space.
Pity they dont, and wont, make them as gorgeous as they used to.
Kaveh 6:28PM (7/26/2008)
your lucky, i haven't seen a real one yet, I see some killer cars at the car shows here in Arizona, Irvine must get some serious collectors cars.
Dondonel 6:44PM (7/26/2008)
@Kaveh
They had rear engine config, like 911s, not mid engine.
Not that good for handling.
Johnnie 11:43PM (7/26/2008)
Dondonel -
Not that great for handling????
The 911 is probably the most successfull racing car of all time. How could that be if the handling wasn't that great?
Kaveh 11:52PM (7/26/2008)
I guess the way they put the engine depends on the car itself, but those old school Alpine cars just look so damn cool, with the extra fog lights on the front, Man, I miss all those 70's and 80's rally cars.
Metar 3:22AM (7/27/2008)
Rear engined - but that doesn't mean it was terrible to drive. Not easy, perhaps, but definitely fast - must be, otherwise it wouldn't have won it's many rally-races, including a title...
G-Meister 8:59AM (7/28/2008)
While noone can argue that the 911 has been extremely successful, it is very difficult to drive at the limit and most will argue that the Cayman is a better handling car.
Ben 7:37PM (7/26/2008)
It's the new Renault Cayman Z. =]
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Mobius_1 9:16PM (7/26/2008)
Cool, but can we have a new Renault GT-R? That would be fun
And btw, what exactly is wrong (or bad) about being a Renault Cayman? As long as it's competitive with the Porsche, and cheaper and better looking, it would be good and succeed
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Will 9:21PM (7/26/2008)
Hasn't Nissan been tipped as developing a new Silvia on a lightweight F/R platform? Seems like that would make more sense for an Alpine renaissance, as both are a few years off at present.
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Biz 10:37PM (7/26/2008)
I hope for the love of science that they don't it a coupe-convertable...
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RedBeauty84ZX 10:43PM (7/26/2008)
Very Cool...
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LineNoise 12:35AM (7/27/2008)
Would be incredibly sad to see Renault take this route.
The engine in the front instead of being RR is a minor issue. The weight isn't.
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