#0087 Alpine A220

Le Mans 24 Hours of Mans 1968

#27
Mauro Bianchi and Patrick Depailler
DNF

#29
Jean Pierre Jabouille / Jean Guichet
DNF

Dieppe-born Jean Rédélé chose the Alpine name for his own cars after driving his Renault 4C to great success in rallying in the French Alps in 1954. He continuously developed his Renault-based cars. With attractive bodywork and some support from Renault, he had great success in rallies. First 1.5 liter Alpine cars were used at Le Mans in the mid-1960s, but it was the 3 liter formula introduced at Le Mans in 1968 that paved the way for the Alpine to an overall victory. The A220 was the result of the combination of a new tubular frame clad in a new aerodynamic body and equipped with a 3 liter V8 Gordini engine created by the assembly of two 1.5 liter blocks. On the right side of the watercolor one can see such a company car, which was driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Jean Guichet. On the left a 220 fielded by Ecurie Savin-Calberson, driven by Mauro Bianchi and Patrick Depailler. None of the vehicles saw the finish line.