The Renault Alpine has lived a considerably tumultuous life thus far, which is especially impressive considering the car hasn’t even been finished yet.
Once a joint venture between French carmaker Renault and British track car specialist Caterham, the Alpine is now solely a Renault project, as the two companies ended their affiliation in April.
At the 2014 Paris Motor Show, Renault Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn told What Car that despite its checkered past, the Alpine is “continuing as planned.”
The new car will reportedly draw cues from the lauded Alpine A110 Berlinette of the 1960s and 1970s, a nimble, lightweight vehicle with a rally car-esque disposition. Looking at A110’s design, it’s easy to see why Renault partnered with Caterham in the first place.
“Caterham brought a lot of experience to the team, especially in its knowledge of rapid prototyping and setting up a sports car, so it was a shame to lose them,” Renault chief designer Laurens van den Acker said. “On the positive side, the commitment to the project has never wavered, and now we are in sole charge of our destiny we have made some good progress.”
Related: Anglo-French alliance ends as Renault takes full control of Alpine sports car
Rumor has it that Caterham wanted to progress the Alpine a bit faster than Renault was comfortable with, but no official statement regarding the catalyst of the split has been made.
Like a child stuck in between bickering parents, the car is what truly suffered. But now, free of transcontinental litigation, the Alpine can finally stretch its legs and grow exclusively under the Renault banner.
“While it would have been better to split the investment with a partner, it wasn’t possible to agree it,” continued Ghosn. “Now it is better that we go alone.”
After everything it’s gone through, we just hope the Alpine is worth the wait.
