Alpine A610

[Mark Blanchard]

Here's Clarkson trashing a nice mid-engine supercar again .

Clicky

[neal]

Here's Clarkson trashing a nice mid-engine supercar again .

Clicky

At least that means there should be another UN1 on EBay!

[Advantage]

Pedant mode/

Rear engined....

[mr.oogieboogie]

good motors those pretty quick and nice looking, use to be one just up the road from me

[neal]

Pedant mode/

Rear engined....

True, but all they did to the box was mount the crownwheel on the 'wrong' side so you could probably swap it over to the 'right' side. At worst there would still still be plenty of spares...

[internets]

Apparently it was a low mileage well cared for example.

Some of the car was sold off on ebay, including the engine and gearbox Ebay link

Apparently the engine is going to live on in a DeLorean

Edited December 7, 2007 by internets

[superdavelotus]

I really like these cars, I wanted to buy one as a daily driver until I found out it wasn't practical to warrant doing it.

The A610 hold their prices pretty well these days.

[Bibs]

Alan Morgan has a pristine example which he's had pretty much from new, it's lovely

[Simon350S]

What a shame..... i do like them too....

Made for a funny few seconds of TV footage though....

Simon

[Advantage]

They're perfectly useable as a daily. I used to run it's predecessor, a GTA V6 Turbo, as an everyday slonker. It was brill.

Comfortable, quick(ish) and reasonably reliable, despite having a camshaft made of chocolate. I used to like having to open the front bonnet to put fuel in, I looked forward to it raining so I could use the 'handclap' wipers and the electrically opening (not just unlocking, opening!) doors were operated via my (Clifford) remote.

I once transported four tyres for my old Land Rover back from Birmingham, two on the rear seats, on in the front and one on the engine cover.

Oh, and it made an excellent Ffffffffstt noise every time the turbo was 'on'. (Which was a lot.)

If the new Eagle can capture some of that, I'm in!

[Loose Cannon]

It wasn't that long ago Clarkson was testing one of those against a Venturi and being complimentary about it!

Top Gears current preoccupation with the destruction of rare, decent and desireable (to someone) machinery is utterley repulsive. Like when they trashed those cars in an African country that looked like it mostly didn't have two hubcaps to rub together.

If this was 100 years ago I get the feeling they would be shooting tigers; spoilt arrogant showoffs.

[Advantage]

That wasn't a Top Gear clip, just a snippet of Clarkson's new DVD - in the shops, for Christmas, now.

[Simon350S]

But but but.........

As much as your most probably right Mark.........

I.......well........ just can't help myself from having a sly giggle when I watch it and watch it I do.....

As with everything else, its just an entertainment program......

Did we all watch the dukes of hazzard film....??? Imagine how pissed off you'd be if you were the owner of a dodge charger, especially after the film company bought up so many of the cars and wiped out the supply of spares.....

Bet thats put the cost of ownership up a tad.....

And then to watch them all get destroyed......

I almost shed a tear..... but hey, was fab to see the jumps and power slides..... just cant recreate that sort of stuff using computer generated immaging.....

Simon

[Lowtus]

I had a good look at these cars at one stage but the "on/off" turbo delivery was shocking compared to Esprit. Interior was nothing special either. Interesting car though.

[Loose Cannon]

I think it said somewhere that they wiped out either 200 or 400 Chargers which probably didn't put too much of a dent in the production figures (about 90000 each year 1968-1970??) and I bet a fair few of them were munters for long distance shots/cannon jumps.

That looked like the sad end to a car that had another 20 years left in it, and how many must there be in this country, 20? 30?

I don't think I'm alone in feeling uncomfortable when something rare gets destroyed, and in fairness it was in the cause of a pretty weak joke. If it was an S1 Esprit methinks we would have a different thread here.

Hoping some angry Frenchman will see the vid and set fire to JC...

[Tentenths]

Don't think there's any need to wait for the French - quite a few Alpine loving Brits are already baying for his blood. Evidently, there is also rather more to "Jezza's" crash than meets the eye.

Have a read through this thread and Stunned Monkey's post of 1st Dec in particular.

[Simon350S]

Sorry mate....

Don;t know that much about them.... just quite like them..... no idea how many there are and if it is as few as you say then yes it does seem a little silly doesn't it....

Simon

[arbell9]

A review of the Esprit Se vs Alpine A610 and MVS venturi 260

http://www.renaultalpineownersclub.com/

The esprit comes out on Top. B)

[wiseraven]

In the Lotus you remember each camber change on every corner with a grin that threatens to split your face in two.

I think we all know that feeling.

[Loose Cannon]

Don't think there's any need to wait for the French - quite a few Alpine loving Brits are already baying for his blood. Evidently, there is also rather more to "Jezza's" crash than meets the eye.

Have a read through this thread and Stunned Monkey's post of 1st Dec in particular.

I've read it and still don't understand what happened. So was it deliberately crashed or did the RC controls stick on?? What other reason would they have for RC'ing it than a demolition stunt?

[mr.oogieboogie]

looks very much like a set up, no way he would have just shook his head

[Paul C]

I don't think I'm alone in feeling uncomfortable when something rare gets destroyed, and in fairness it was in the cause of a pretty weak joke. If it was an S1 Esprit methinks we would have a different thread here.

Too right mate. in fact i have a top gear style idea for them...

'Is James Blunt as tough as James bond"

You get the ex soldier/ heat magazine pinup singer James Blunt,

and get him to re-create a series of famous bond stunts, one of

which could be the 'drive a lotus esprit into the sea' stunt. The show

could buy a white S1 esprit, then get 'Blunt, James Blunt' to drive it

along a pier, crashing into the odd oil drum, and then into the sea.

The next week we could have Italian pop star Zucchero in a 'The Italian

Job' stunt where they buy a Lamborghini Miura, make it remote control,

fill it with cans of petrol and get the "Senza una donna" star to drive it into

a JCB on some old runway somewhere. That would be funny, and SO them.

[Mark Blanchard]

It must have been deliberate. They've got a well taken shot of the moment of impact on the back of the DVD.

I agree that it's a real shame to demolish rare cars for a TV programs / annual DVDs that are not going to be seen more than once or twice. I felt equally as annoyed when that smart looking Lotus Europa was converted into a hovercraft for some forgetable channel 5 program a while back.

These cars have been looked after by Enthusiast's for many years, to then be demolished by some Moron for 2 minutes of TV .

[esprit350]

its only a car...yea we get passionate about them... but a big budget tv show or a flim need to stir up some emotion..did anyone cry over all the cars they wrecked in blues brothers or any action film?

what about the chap in north wales who made an S1 in to a boat?

[Advantage]

You also have to ask why are they rare? Is it because Renault decided they'd tool up up for a limited run of expensive to produce cars and then restrict the amount they'd sell to ensure the project operated at a loss?

Or is it because nobody wanted one when they were new and Renault struggled to find homes for the ones they did produce?

It's just a car. It's a car that wasn't popular when new so I don't know what all the fuss is about now it's almost 15 years old.