DrivingEnthusiast.net Prior Blog Posts by Date DRIVING: that's what it's ALL ABOUT! A blog and website for automotive driving enthusiasts, featuring my interests as I see them: news and opinion about manufacturers of interest, significant enthusiast cars, and driving them hard and well. July 2008 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31     Jun   Aug RSS Feed for DrivingEnthusiast.net About DrivingEnthusiast.net Index of prior posts by title Use this calendar to navigate thru prior blog postings by date. Monday, July 28, 2008    Renault Alpine rumor persists   As first discussed in my blog posting of November 2005 ( http://www.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-blog/2005/11/27.html#a1037 ), Renault has been considering reviving the Alpine brand for the past several years. Discussion in the press on this possibility has recently picked up with the suggestion that 2010 could be the year the car debuts. References on web (suggest <right click> and <open in new tab>): http://www.themotorreport.com.au/6165/370z-based-renault-alpine-to-be-revived-in-2010/ http://www.eurocarblog.com/post/1044/alpine-to-be-made-in-2010-as-twin-to-the-mean-nissan-370z  http://tribes.cartribe.co.uk/kickapps/_2010-Alpine-based-on-370Z/BLOG/83846/7276.html http://www.autospies.com/news/Renault-Alpine-shares-platform-with-Nissan-370Z-32876/ http://www.pressportal.com.au/news/246/ARTICLE/2708/2008-07-27.html  Plans have apparently taken a step forward, coinciding with the major updates that were made to the Nissan FM platform and architecture. Given the strategic alliance with Nissan, and the lack of a suitable chassis from Renault itself, what better platform to use than the updated FM architecture? The FM platform is the basis for the current G37 coupe and G35/G37 sedan, and older variants are found under the M35/45 and 350Z. When the 350Z is updated to the 370Z this coming winter, it will ride on the updated FM platform and will be both lighter and shorter than the current 350Z. The original Alpine concept of a few years ago is shown below. With the 370Z taking several steps to cut weight significantly from 350Z levels, the revised FM platform with a turbo 4 or Nissan V-6 would seem to be ideal for the purpose. This could also significant a revival of "sporting" spirit at Renault, whose products have been mainly stuck in the French market and which - with a few exceptions - have been decidedly dull as far as enthusiasts are concerned.   View and add comments: Trackback: Trackback Link and count:;[] Permalink for this post:  See similar posts in these categories: Nissan Z | Nissan-Infiniti Search for similar posts on the web: Google It! RSS Feed for DrivingEnthusiast.net About DrivingEnthusiast.net
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