In 2012 we were thrilled of the news of the Renault and Catherham’s partnership, greatly excited by the creations we were promised.

The joint venture promised to make two super cars, one for each of the organisations and marking the revitalisation of Renault’s Alpine badge. The car is best known for taking the top three positions in the Monte Carlo rally in 1971 and 1973, renowned for it’s ability to bring crowds to a standstill. 

 

The announcement of this new coalition back in 2012 coincided with Caterham’s shift from niche British maker to global producer under the ownership of Malaysian mogul, Tony Fernandes, owner of the Catherham Formula 1 team.

At the time of the announcement, Fernandes said Caterham’s revival alongside Alpine was on a par with his creation of his airline company, AirAsia. “Many people doubted us 11 years ago when we launched our airline and I am sure that there will be doubters again this time, but we will not fail your trust”

In a statement released today Renault announced that they we be breaking ties from the British firm, buying out their 50% stake in the venture. This purchase includes the Dieppe factory that the cars are in the process of being built in.

Although a great shift in company structure Renault have claimed that this will not have any effect on the timeframes they initially set out, still planning to launch the can by 2016.

According to Alpine, the design of its new sports car is “90 percent complete” with the interior design to be finalised sometime during the summer of this year.

With car fanatics eagerly awaiting the re-launch of the Alpine will the super car really reach the limits that the carmakers expect?

Leave your thoughts below.