The Alpine A330 was an open-wheel Formula 3 race car, designed, developed and built by French racing team and constructor Renault Alpine in 1967, and competed in motor racing between 1968 and 1969. [1]
In 1968 Alpine built another Formula 3 racing car. The vehicle was considered easy to control and had a short chassis based on a simple space frame. In 1968, the Alpine A330 was the only Formula 3 car (apart from cars from Eastern Europe) not to have a Ford engine in the rear. The in-house engine developed by Alpine in Dieppe had an output of 115 hp and was 10 to 15 hp less than the competition from Ford. [2]
For Alpine, the Formula France, the French Formula 3 Championship, was an absolute priority. The further development of the cars was slowed down by a tight budget, but Patrick Depailler still achieved three second places and several places in the points, thus proving the quality of the small racing car. [3]
In 1969 the car was still used in parallel with the new Alpine A360. Depailler finished fourth in the French Championship driving the A330, one place behind teammate Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who drove the A360. [4]
The Société des Automobiles Alpine SAS, commonly known as Alpine, is a French manufacturer of sports cars and racing cars established in 1955. The Alpine car marque was created in 1954.
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of Double Four Valve, the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had four valves per cylinder.
Patrick André Eugène Joseph Depailler was a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1980.
Jean-Pierre Alain Jabouille was a French racing driver and engineer, who competed in Formula One from 1974 to 1981.
Rolf Johann Stommelen was a racing driver from Siegen, Germany. He participated in 63 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races.
Gordini is a division of Renault Sport Technologies. In the past, it was a sports car manufacturer and performance tuner, established in 1946 by Amédée Gordini (1899–1979), nicknamed "Le Sorcier". Gordini became a division of Renault in 1968 and of Renault Sport in 1976.
Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single-seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula Ford has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone into formula racing after karting. The series typically sees career-minded drivers enter alongside amateurs and enthusiasts. Success in Formula Ford can lead directly to other junior formula series such as a Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Three, or F1 Academy for female drivers, and previously the W Series, prior to the series folding.
The Alpine A110 is a sports car produced by French automobile manufacturer Alpine from 1963 to 1977. The car was styled as a "berlinette", which in the post-WWII era refers to a small enclosed two-door berline, better-known as a coupé. The Alpine A110 succeeded the earlier A108. The car was powered by a succession of Renault engines. A car also named Alpine A110 was introduced in 2017.
The Mirage Lightweight Racing Car was a family of race cars built by J.W. Automotive Engineereing (JWAE) at Slough in England, initially to compete in international sports car races in the colours of the Gulf Oil Corporation.
The Renault Alpine A442 is a sports prototype racing car, designed and built by Alpine, but funded and powered by Alpine's owners Renault, specifically to contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Variants were entered for the event in 1976, 1977 and 1978. An A442B finally won the race on the third occasion, in the hands of Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. Also entered in 1978 was the updated Renault Alpine A443 model; essentially an A442 chassis, but powered by a new 2138 cc engine. Following this all-French victory in the premier French motorsport event, Renault withdrew from sports car racing to concentrate their efforts in Formula One.
This article gives an outline of Formula One engines, also called Formula One power units since the hybrid era starting in 2014. Since its inception in 1947, Formula One has used a variety of engine regulations. Formulae limiting engine capacity had been used in Grand Prix racing on a regular basis since after World War I. The engine formulae are divided according to era.
The Matra Company's racing team, under the names of Matra Sports, Equipe Matra Elf and Equipe Matra Sports, was formed in 1965 and based at Champagne-sur-Seine (1965–1967), Romorantin-Lanthenay (1967–1969) and Vélizy-Villacoublay (1969–1979). In 1979 the team was taken over by Peugeot and renamed as Automobiles Talbot.
The Brabham BT2 is an open-wheel racing car made by Brabham in 1962.
The Surtees TS15, and it's derivative, the Surtees TS15A, are open-wheel Formula 2 race car chassis, designed, developed and built by Surtees for the European Formula Two Championship, between 1973 and 1974. German Jochen Mass won two races, and finished runner-up in the 1973 championship, with 42 points. The TS15 was powered by a naturally aspirated, 1.6 L (98 cu in), Ford-Cosworth BDD four-cylinder engine, tuned by Brian Hart, to produce a respectable 200 hp (150 kW). It was the team's final Formula Two car.
The Hart 420R and the Hart 420S are four-stroke, naturally aspirated, 2.0 L (120 cu in), four-cylinder engine, designed, developed and made by Hart Racing Engines, and tuned by Brian Hart, for Formula 2 and sports prototype racing applications, between 1975 and 1980. The 420R is based on the Cosworth FVA, while the 420S is based on the Cosworth BDG, with the design knowledge being taken and used on both. The Hart 420R F2 engine owes much to the Cosworth BDA series, being essentially an aluminium-block derivative using similar heads. Both the 420R and 420S were naturally-aspirated, 2-litre, 16-valve DOHC, fuel-injected, straight-four engines. Displacement is 1,994 cc (121.7 cu in), and maximum power output is between 290–305 hp at 9,500 rpm, with the motor being failsafe to just over 10,000 rpm. The bore is 93.5 mm (3.68 in), and the stroke is 72.6 mm (2.86 in).
The March 693 was a Formula 3 racing car built and used by March Engineering in 1969. It was powered by a naturally aspirated, 997 cc, Ford 105E straight-four engine, producing 120 hp (89 kW), and weighing in at a tiny 400 kg (880 lb).
The Wolf WD1, also known as the Wolf-Dallara WD1, was a sports prototype race car, designed, developed, and built by British-Canadian constructor, Walter Wolf Racing, in partnership with Italian manufacturer, constructor, and design company, Dallara, for the revived Can-Am series, in 1977. It was driven by Chris Amon and Gilles Villeneuve. Its best result was a 3rd-place podium finish, at Road America in 1977; being driven by Villeneuve. As with most Can-Am cars of the time, it was powered by the commonly used 5.0 L (310 cu in) Chevrolet small-block engine.
The Cooper T85 was an open-wheel formula racing car, designed, developed and built by British manufacturer Cooper, for Formula Three racing categories, in 1967. It was their 16th and final Formula 3 car. It was powered by a 998 cc (60.9 cu in) BMC four-cylinder engine, developing around 88 hp (66 kW) @ 7,750 rpm, and had a 12.5:1 compression ratio. Only two models were produced. It used inboard front suspension, and was very similar in design to its predecessor. It is known to have entered one race at Brands Hatch in 1967, being driven by Les Leston, but did not end up finish the race. A Ford-powered version of the car entered a second race at Montlhéry in 1968, also without any success.
The Tecno F3 line is a series of open wheel Formula Three race cars, designed, developed and produced by Italian manufacturer Tecno between 1966 and 1976, starting with the TF/66.
The Alpine A350 was a Formula One car designed for Alpine by Richard Bouleau in 1968. The model was powered by a V8 engine from Renault-Gordini sports cars. It featured an innovative flat suspension system and was tested by Mauro Bianchi on the Zolder and Zandvoort tracks. However, the project was vetoed by Renault because the engine was 100 hp weaker than the Cosworth DFVs, resulting in the A350 never participating in a Grand Prix.