Design Study for a Modern Day Renault Alpine Sports Coupe

An affordable, rear-wheel drive sports coupe from Renault bearing the historic Alpine moniker has been in the cards for years but the French carmaker has yet to launch a modern day successor to the last model to carry the Alpine name, the A610 from the mid 1990s.

After production of the A610 ended, Renault used the Alpine factory in Dieppe to manufacture the street-legal RenaultSport Spider, a lightweight two-seater model with a rear mid-engine layout built from 1995 to 1997, which was the French firm�s last bespoke sports car.

Over the years, we have seen many independent designers creating concept studies for a new Alpine coupe, the most recent being the one you see pictured above, which is the work of David Cardoso.

Here is what David told Carscoop about his design: �I made a modern interpretation of the Renault Alpine A110. Like the original Alpine, this concept has a rear engine and a stretched silhouette. The rear is inspired by the Dezir Concept while the front has influences of the Nepta Concept. Could be a direct competitor (or ally since Nissan is in the Renault group) for the Nissan 370Z.�

Check out the high-resolution pictures below and voice your thoughts about the design in the comments section below.

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RENAULT ALPINE HISTORIC PICTURES

Geneva 2011: Renault's Sporty Looking R-Space Small MPV Concept

Renault is offering us a glimpse of its next generation Scenic with the new R-Space concept model unveiled today at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The R-Space is the third concept model after the 2009 DeZir and the Juke-like Captur crossover, which is also on display in Geneva, to showcase the French brand's new design language conceived by Renault's chief designer, Laurens van den Acker.

At 4,250mm meters long, the R-Space is slightly shorter than the current Scenic (4,344mm) and features a much more expressive exterior design. The interior styling is quite futuristic with the floating dashboard and the form of the seats echoing those of the DeZir concept car.

�We provided a strong visual and functional contrast between the driver environment, where the focus is on driving pleasure, and a surprising and highly-original rear section conceived as a play space for children," said interior designer Alexandre Gommier.

One of the highlights of the R-Space is found at the back, where twenty-seven miniature motors power height-adjustable cubes that can take different shapes: an all-flat surface for load carrying, a bench for three passengers, a table or a random configuration that children could create themselves � the last one only when the vehicle is parked.

The MPV concept also previews a new range of fuel-efficient turbocharged gasoline engines as the R-Space is powered by a 900cc three-cylinder petrol engine, which uses turbocharging and direct-injection and is linked to a double-clutch EDC transmission.

This engine, which produces 110 hp and 160 Nm of torque (118 lb-ft), previews the new range of modular TCe engines, called Energy TCe, that Renault will launch in 2012. The R-Space has an average fuel consumption of just 3.7 liters/100 km (63.5 mpg) and CO2 emissions of 95 g/km, thanks to the fitting of an intelligent DRIVINGECO� system, which automatically adapts engine response in relation to the various parameters influencing energy consumption.

The Renault MPV can reach a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 11 seconds.

By Dan Mihalascu

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