The Alpine A110 was launched in 1963 using Renault 8-derived components, with a steel backbone chassis and a lightweight fibreglass body — a combination that gave the car an exceptional power-to-weight ratio. The earliest cars used 956 cc and 1108 cc engines, and the model progressively moved upmarket through 1300 cc and 1500 cc variants during the mid-1960s. In September 1968 the 1500 was replaced by a 1600 using the 1565 cc engine from the Renault 16 TS, producing 92 horsepower.
The 1600S, arriving in October 1969, transformed the formula by fitting this engine with a high-compression head and twin Weber 45 carburettors, pushing power to 138 horsepower. This allowed the production 1600S to reach a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph) through its five-speed gearbox.
The A110 had established itself as a potent national-level rally car through the late 1960s using the cast-iron Renault 8 Gordini engines, winning multiple events in France. The switch to the aluminium-block Renault 16 engine gave the car the power and reliability needed for international competition.
In 1970, the car competed in the newly established International Championship for Manufacturers, winning events across Europe. A notable milestone came in October 1971 at the Criterium des Cevennes rally, where the A110 driven by Jean-Luc Therier became the first car to win an international rally using a turbocharged engine — predating the Audi Quattro's turbocharged WRC campaign by eight years.
The 1971 Monte Carlo Rally was won by Swedish driver Ove Andersson in an A110, a result that cemented the car's reputation at the highest level. The factory team in the Alpine era featured Bernard Darniche, Jean-Pierre Nicolas, and Jean-Luc Therier as permanent drivers, with additional entries by guest drivers including Jean-Claude Andruet.
When the International Championship was replaced by the World Rally Championship for 1973, Renault — which had purchased Alpine outright in 1971 — entered the 1600S as its WRC challenger. The car won most rounds where the works team was entered, making Alpine the first World Rally Champion and Renault the first manufacturer to claim the newly established title.
A Group 4 version of the 1600S was homologated with an even higher-compression engine producing 172 horsepower. From October 1973, the production 1600S received chassis updates including a switch from swing-axle to double wishbone rear suspension, taken from the larger A310, and new four-stud alloy wheels. Two engine variants were offered from this point: the SC with twin carburettors and the SI with Bosch fuel injection.
The competition-specification cars used by the works team were progressively developed, with later works A110s receiving engines displacing up to 1.8 litres (1798 cc, 185 horsepower) as the Group 4 1800 variant.
A May 1973 update brought a 1605 cc engine derived from the A310, which became the basis for the revised production 1600S with five-speed gearbox as standard.
By 1974, the mid-engined Lancia Stratos — the first car designed specifically for rallying rather than adapted from a road car — made the rear-engined A110 obsolete at the top level of the sport. Attempts to extend the car's competitiveness, including a short-lived DOHC 16-valve cylinder head and adoption of the A310's rear suspension, could not overcome the fundamental disadvantage of the rear-engine layout on the increasingly demanding stage surfaces of the mid-1970s. Alpine production at Dieppe ended in July 1977, with Spanish production by FASA continuing until May 1978.
Total production of all A110 variants reached 7,176 units at Dieppe and 1,566 at FASA in Spain. The A110 1600S remains a staple of vintage rallying events such as the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, and the Alpine name was revived by Renault in 2017 for a modern mid-engined sports car bearing the same designation.