Jean Redélé, founder of the French motorsport tuning and engineering company, Automobiles Alpine, died on August 10, at the age of 85.
Based in the northern French region of Dieppe, Redélé and his small band of engineers and volunteers began modifying Renault 4CVs for racing in the early ’50s. After success with one of their 4CVs in the 1952 Mille Miglia, Automobiles Alpine began branching out into the construction of small-bore, Renault-based Le Mans prototypes, formula cars and rally machines. With Le Mans victories in the Index of Thermal Efficiency in 1964, 1966 and 1968, Alpine was scoring significant international motorsport honors for Renault, resulting in the Parisian manufacturer first officially sponsoring the company in the ’60s and then subsequently acquiring the company outright in 1976.
By the early ’70s, the Alpine A110 Berlinette sports car had won the 1971 Monte Carlo rally and was proving a formidable force in international rallying, while the company would soon blaze new territories in the development of turbocharging. In 1977, Redélé’s engineering team ushered in the turbo era of Formula One with the introduction of the Renault RS01. While, the following year, the Alpine A442 took home overall honors in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. By the late ’70s, Redélé retired and Alpine’s Dieppe facilities were closed and merged with Renault Sport’s headquarters at Víry Chatillon.
