Renault Alpine Inspired By 911 History, Joint Venture Delayed: Report

The upcoming Alpine sports car, developed by Renault and Caterham in a new joint venture, could be the first in a wider range if initial sales are strong.

That’s the word from Renault’s design chief, Laurens van den Acker, who reportedly compared the Alpine to the Porsche 911 in terms of a base upon which to build additional cars.

Speaking with enthusiast site PistonHeads, Mr van den Acker said a successful Alpine model could spell big things for the future.

"We need to create the 911 of Alpine,” Mr van den Acker said. “Then we can do the Panamera and Cayman (equivalents). It needs to have all the roots of the brand on which we can build."

But before any offshoots of the Alpine can be created, Renault and Caterham need to sort out the legal paperwork for their joint venture, if reports out of France are to be believed.

Some sources are claiming that Caterham is yet to invest any money into the joint venture.

Another anonymous source reportedly told French newspaper Les Echos that Renault will develop the car itself if the joint venture falls over.

Recent rumours suggest the Alpine will get a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing nearly 210kW, while tipping the scales at around 1000kg.

Renault boss Carlos Tavares reportedly revealed that the platform, engine and gearbox have all been finalised, but wouldn’t reveal any specific details.

Whatever the final outcome of the joint venture and the car, Renault has confirmed that an Alpine model will hit showrooms in Europe in 2016, with prices starting from less than 50,000 Euros (around $AU 68,700).

• Alpine | Renault | Caterham | Sports Cars