Fasa-Alpine A110: Pisa a fondo!
Details
It was not only Renaults that were built at the FASA plant in Valladolid in the past. The Alpine A110 also saw the light of day there. Basically the same A110 as built by Alpine in France. Yet a Spanish A110 can be recognised by a number of details, revealing that the original mould was used until 1978.
Photos: Anne-mei Ocheda & Automedia
Chassis construction
The first contact between FASA and Alpine occurred in October 1961 when a group of engineers went to see Alpine. FASA people in the fields of chassis construction, paint, trim, bodywork and engineering looked at Alpine's art. These gentlemen took extensive notes including the use of the Dauphine engine, as it was already available in Spain.
Chief engineer
It was decided to set up a 500-square-metre workshop where some 30 employees would take care of Alpine production. People were specifically recruited for fibreglass bodywork construction. In September 1962, Francisco Conde joined FASA as chief engineer and initially dealt with calculations to increase production capacity and also devoted himself to building a test track on the factory site. But from April 1963, he was fully responsible for the Alpine workshop. Workers were trained so that they were interchangeable and could also assist on the factory's Renault assembly line. Because of the modest number of Alpines being built, employees regularly switched roles at the big factory.
Photos: Adjustable rear side windows increase air circulation in the compact cabin, which was largely restored by Valentin himself.
Symbolic value
Spanish Alpine history started in September 1963 with the first A108 made in Valladolid and ran until 1978 when the last A110 with 1.4-litre Renault 5 Alpine engine left the factory gates. One might wonder if building Alpines in Spain was not mainly of symbolic value, as can also be said of Dinalpin, Interlagos and Bulgar-Alpine.
Coupé or convertible
Throughout Spanish Alpine history, the models lagged in phase behind the French versions, which were changed and modified every year. The Alpine A108 had been launched at the Paris Motor Show in October 1960 equipped with the 845cc engine from the Dauphine Gordini. It was that very car that went into production in Valladolid. The first examples got their first owners in February 1964. Customers could choose between a coupé or convertible. From May 1966, the front drum brakes were replaced by discs.
Photo: The Spanish A110 retained the door handles of the Renault Floride/Caravelle until the end.
Berlinettes
Building an A108 initially took 500 man-hours per car and that shrank to 308 hours by the end of 1978, despite the car being more complex to build at that time. In 1964, exactly ninety examples of the Spanish Alpine saw the light of day equally divided between cabriolet and berlinette. A total of 161 coupes and 111 convertibles of the first phase A108 were built in Valladolid. A further 25 berlinettes and 41 convertibles followed from the second type, which only emerged from the factory in 1966 and 1967, bringing total A108 production to 338 units.
The A108 was succeeded in Spain in June 1967 by the A110 only as a coupé and fitted with the 1108cc engine from the Renault 10, good for 51 hp. With the arrival of the A110, a new facility was commissioned with more employees and unconditional support from Dieppe.
Photo: These plates in the front clearly show that this car was made in Valladolid.
Single headlights
Right from its launch, the Spanish A110 was considerably behind, i.e. the bodywork was similar to the very first French A110 from some four years earlier. The front was characterised by single headlights, an A110 in its purest form.
When restoring his 1973 car, Valentin Ocheda found that the body mould had probably never been modified. "When all the old paint was removed, it was clearly visible that the two additional headlights were added later. Holes were made in the closed front to insert the plastic housing of the extra lamps. Then it was a matter of filling and sanding and painting.
Double headlights
The 1.3-litre 66-hp Cléon engine found its way into the A110 in May 1971. That power unit came from the Renault 10 1300, which, incidentally, was never offered on the Spanish market as such. At that time, double headlights also made their appearance as well as disc brakes all round. In total Spanish production, this A110-1300 was the most built.
Photo: A wooden steering wheel is part of the look of a Spanish Alpine interior. The instruments were made locally in Spain .
A110-1400
As is often the case with Renaults produced in Spain, the Alpine A110's assembly ran a bit longer than in France. So in May 1977, the A110-1400 showed up, which had been further developed specifically for Spain. The back end housed the 1,397cc engine derived from the Renault 5 Copa with an output of 85 hp.
Photo: These nameplates leave no doubt as to their origin.
Overall Alpine production in Spain was extremely modest. Between September 1963 and May 1978, 1,954 units saw the light of day, of which 908 were A110-1300s. The last French A110 left Dieppe as early as May 1977. There was no serious competition in Spain in those years, but then there was no real potential in the market.
Despite modest production, the necessary parts were made locally. The instruments, for instance, have Spanish origins. A wooden steering wheel, not infrequently a licensed one from Nardi, also often graced the interior, which, incidentally, was already the case with the A108.
Dissatisfaction
Still, there was often some dissatisfaction among Francisco Conde's team because, at Alpine, the French always had Gordini engines at their disposal and were at the forefront of technological developments. In Spain they had to settle for the one base from the early A110 era.
Improved last version
Conde managed to convince his management to put an improved last version into production. The A110-1400 with the 1.4 litre delivering 85bhp, from the 5 Alpine/Copa. By reducing the compression ratio, this power dropped slightly. But compared to the 1300, this upgrade provided a substantial improvement in performance. Other changes included adding an oil cooler, new electrical wiring and modifications to bodywork and chassis.
Valentin's silver-grey A110 is a 1300 in terms of production, but has had the 1.4-litre Alpine engine since 1986.
Photo: The 1.4-litre Alpine engine has been in Valentin Ocheida's FASA Alpine A110 since 1986.
Seed planted
The Alpine seed was planted with Valentin when he received a brochure of the Alpine A310 V6 from Renault dealer Stokman in 1979. His first real Alpine, a 1987 V6 Turbo, did not follow until 2000. Contacts with the Alpine Renault Club Netherlands grew warmer, especially with then-chairman Charley Valette. Valentin shaped the club magazine for no less than 18 years.
"During that time, I came into contact with the A110 and then deliberately looked for a FASA Alpine because of my Spanish roots. I then came across a FASA A110 that had been under a tarpaulin in France for 14 years. The condition was 'restore' and not resell. This description was accompanied by some indistinct photos of something blue in a dark barn full of junk. The car belonged to the deceased brother of the man in question."
Photo: Valentin at the wheel of his restored Fasa-Alpine A110.
Still, Valentin bought his Alpine unseen in July 2020 and had an acquaintance pick it up. He and his wife Hanneke were shocked to see the car. There was no turning back then. What had they got themselves into? But reassuring words from Charley restored some courage.
Valentin: "The car was restored from A to Z in 18 months. It became a nightmare, full of problems and hidden defects. Before one problem was solved, another would present itself. I don't know if I would have started the process if I had known all this in advance. But persistence wins out. At least now I know how good the car turned out. However, I couldn't have done the job by a long shot without help from Charley and Bert Hillhorst."
Meanwhile, Valentin tries to keep himself supple at the gym, as getting in and out of an Alpine A110 requires some suppleness.