Renault Alpine A442

The Renault Alpine A442 was a sports prototype racing car designed and built by Alpine but funded and powered by its owner Renault, specifically to contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Variants were entered at Le Mans in 1976, 1977 and 1978, and an A442B won the race on the third attempt in the hands of Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. The car was a direct evolution of the Alpine A440 and A441, with a 2.0 litre Renault-Gordini engine carrying a large Garrett turbocharger and about 490 bhp, mounted in a small steel spaceframe under a long fibreglass body whose extended tail served high-speed aerodynamics. The A442B added an acrylic bubble roof, and the related A443 used a 2138 cc engine. After the all-French victory Renault withdrew from sports car racing to concentrate on Formula One.