Alpine A108

Lore & Background

The A108 took its name from the first three digits of the homologation number of the Renault 4CV, though it used mechanical components from the newer Renault Dauphine (homologation number 1090). The original coupé, launched in 1957, used the Gordini version of the 845 cc engine from the Dauphine. Production volumes were low, and the older A106 remained the company's principal offering until 1960.

In 1960, a cabriolet and a 2+2 coupé were introduced, featuring a newly developed 'beams and backbone' chassis with cradles at each end for the engine and steering. This architecture would be used for Alpine sports cars until the A110 was phased out in 1977. These longer versions, assembled by Chappe et Gessalin, had a wheelbase lengthened by 7 cm and offered engines of 845 cc or 904 cc.

Also in 1960, an upgraded version called the Berlinette Tour de France replaced the original 'coach' version. Visually, it integrated the headlights into the front wing behind perspex covers. This model was offered from autumn 1960 and continued until 1965, preparing the way for the commercially more successful A110. The A108 was also produced in Brazil as the Willys Interlagos, built in berlinette, coupé, and convertible versions, with 822 units made from 1962 to 1966.

Reader's Guide

The Alpine A108's significance lies in its role as a transitional model that moved Alpine from a niche builder of modified Renaults toward a recognized sports car manufacturer. Its 'beams and backbone' chassis, introduced with the 1960 lengthened versions, became the structural foundation for all subsequent Alpine sports cars through the end of the A110's production in 1977. The A108 also demonstrated Alpine's ability to evolve its design language, as seen in the Berlinette Tour de France with its integrated headlights. Though production numbers were very low—fewer than 100 of the lengthened versions were built—the model established the technical and commercial template for the A110. The Brazilian production under the Willys Interlagos name extended the car's reach and racing success, with 822 units built between 1962 and 1966. The A108 thus served as both a testbed for engineering concepts and a stepping stone to the model that would define Alpine's identity.

Did You Know?

• The A108 was named after the first three digits of the Renault 4CV's homologation number, even though it used Dauphine components.
• The 1960 2+2 coupé and cabriolet introduced a 'beams and backbone' chassis used until the A110 ended production in 1977.
• Fewer than 100 of the lengthened A108 versions were produced between 1960 and 1965.
• In Brazil, the A108 was built as the Willys Interlagos, with 822 units made from 1962 to 1966.

From a Dieppe Showroom to the Paris Showfloor

The Alpine A108 was born out of the ambitions of Jean Rédélé, a young, competition-minded Renault dealer operating out of Dieppe. Rather than simply selling existing models, Rédélé wanted a purpose-built sports car, and the result was a featherweight two-door coupé wrapped in a glass-fibre body with the engine mounted behind the rear axle. Mechanically, the car drew on components from the Renault Dauphine, and at its 1957 Paris Motor Show debut it carried the Gordini-tuned 845 cc unit. The naming, however, tells an interesting story. By the convention that had given the A106 its number from the Renault 4CV's homologation code, the Dauphine-based car should logically have been called the 109. Instead, because it inherited so many non-mechanical parts from the outgoing 106, Rédélé settled on 108. Despite the show-floor debut, actual production remained sluggish, and the older 106 continued to dominate the company's output well into 1960.

The Backbone That Would Define a Decade

When Alpine expanded the 108 range in 1960 with a cabriolet and a 2+2 coupé, the company introduced a structural concept that would shape its entire sports-car lineage. The new beams-and-backbone chassis placed transverse beams at each end of a central spine, with cradles at the rear carrying the engine and at the front housing the steering mechanism. This layout, assembled by Chappe et Gessalin on a wheelbase stretched by roughly seven centimetres, would remain the architectural foundation of Alpine's road cars right up until the A110 was retired in 1977. Under the bonnet, buyers could choose between the Dauphine's 845 cc engine producing 37 hp or a 904 cc variant rated at 53 hp. Despite the engineering significance of the new platform, demand stayed modest: fewer than one hundred of these lengthened 108s were completed before production ceased in 1965. The chassis, however, proved far more durable than the cars it first served.

The Willys Interlagos: A South American Chapter

The A108's story did not end in France. Through a manufacturing agreement with Willys-Overland, the model found a second life in Brazil, where it was rebadged as the Willys Interlagos and built in São Bernardo do Campo, in the state of São Paulo. Between 1962 and 1966, a total of 822 Interlagos cars were produced, offered in three distinct body styles: a berlinette, a coupé, and a convertible. This Brazilian production run was not merely a commercial exercise; the Interlagos also enjoyed a successful racing career, giving the model a motorsport pedigree that complemented its road-going presence. The Brazilian chapter is notable for its relative scale compared to the modest French output, and for demonstrating that Rédélé's lightweight, rear-engined formula could be successfully adapted and marketed in a very different automotive culture. The Interlagos remains a reminder that the A108's influence stretched well beyond the narrow workshops of Dieppe.

Paving the Way to the A110

The A108's most consequential legacy may be its role in transforming Alpine from a niche, competition-focused workshop into a recognisable, if still low-volume, mainstream car manufacturer. In the autumn of 1960, the original coach version of the 108 was superseded by the Berlinette Tour de France, a revised model whose most striking visual change was the integration of the headlights into the front wings, concealed behind a wind-cheating perspex cover. This was the version that appeared in Alpine showrooms and remained in production until 1965. Throughout its life, the 108 never achieved high production numbers, yet it established the brand's identity as a maker of refined, lightweight sports cars. More importantly, it laid the groundwork for the A110, the model that would go on to become Alpine's commercial and motorsport flagship. In that sense, the A108 was less a standalone success than a crucial stepping stone, proving that Rédélé's vision could be sustained beyond the racetrack and into the hands of everyday enthusiasts.