A remarkably historic car, this A 442 competed in the 1975 endurance-racing season, raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977 and was in the pits at Le Mans in 1978. It has been driven by the greatest racers of its time. Of the five Renault-Alpine A 442 and A 443 cars built with the sole aim of winning at Le Mans, only one is today in private ownership. The sale of this example is therefore an exceptional opportunity to acquire one of the fantastic machines which were part of the magnificent story of the turbocharged Renaults at Le Mans.
In 1974, the A 441 completely dominated the European [2-liter] Championship, winning all seven races. This success opened new possibilities for Renault Sport, which decided to enter the World Endurance Championship, where the regulations stipulated a capacity of 3 liters for naturally aspirated engines and 2.2 liters for turbocharged engines. Renault already had its excellent 2-liter V6, which would serve as the basis for a turbocharged version. Thanks to a Garrett turbocharger, the power developed by the V6 shot up to 490 hp. They fitted one to an A 441 and it made a promising start, winning at Mugello in March 1975. Meanwhile, the A 442 arrived, a further-developed version with a 500-hp engine and weighing 685 kg. For the first time, the cars sported the yellow-and-black colors associated with Renault.
At the start of the 1975 season, this A 4420 was the only A 442 to represent the French company in the Constructors’ World Championship, driven by Gérard Larrousse and Jean-Pierre Jabouille, before it was joined by a second car, the A 4421. They did not compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which did not yet admit turbocharged sports prototypes, and although they were often the fastest cars in testing and in competition, they were still suffering from a lack of development and poor reliability. This did not prevent this A 4420 from achieving some first-rate results, including 3rd place at the Monza 1000 Km and 4th at the Nürburgring 1000 Km. These results contributed to Renault’s 3rd place in the 1975 World Championship, behind Alfa Romeo and Porsche.
(Introductory description courtesy of Artcurial.)
