I have thought about making up a display board with the 'virtues and victories' of the Alpine spelt out in terms that the general public can appreciate. I haven't started yet but here are my thoughts so far.
On the "firsts" front: From Chris McGovern's book I understand that the Alpine pioneered the use of disk brakes on 'normal' production cars, and that when Rootes started to investigate the rapid wear problems with disks, the other user (Jaguar) also admitted problems. It was Rootes, not Jag who rounded up the brake manufacturers and solved the problem. The Targa Top was also invented for the Alpine and, though it wasn't used on the car, the design was sold to other manufacturers.
On the topic of 'nice touches in the 1960s: * height adjustable, layback seats (series 3 on, I believe) * reach-adjustable steering * adjustable pedals * concealed soft-top stowage * six-speed, overdrive gearbox * hell, a centre console was mostly a novelty too * roll up windows on a sports car (here in Australia, standard fare was non-synchro 1st, 3 speed column change, bench seats, and enough body roll to induce sea-sickness)
On the subject of "if only": * Talks with Enzo Ferrari on supplying engines for the Alpine
I don't think I need to go in to the victories here. Anything I've missed, or gotten wrong? I would like to set this out on a 4ft-high board with lots of pictures which could be set up at shows to 'educate' the public.
Cheers, Paul.
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