Alpine A443

The Alpine A443 was the Renault-Alpine prototype entered in the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans, a development of the A442 with a larger engine and a longer wheelbase, the extra length coming from a spacer between the V6 and the gearbox. Wearing the number 1, it was driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Patrick Depailler and qualified on the front row beside the Porsche 936 of Jacky Ickx and Henri Pescarolo. It led for twelve hours and set the best race lap before it was forced to retire, and the race was won by another Renault-Alpine, the A442 B of Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. The cockpit first carried a plexiglas aerodynamic bubble, which was removed on the Jabouille and Depailler car but kept on the winning A442 B. Only one A443 was built, chassis 443/0. Renault still owns it and it is regularly demonstrated and raced, which Ultimatecarpage.com records, and Le Mans Classic drivers have taken it round the circuit again.