First take the main staircase up to the walkway that links Halls 1 and 2.2 at Rétromobile to visit the ACO exhibition and take a look back over the association’s history. Then, once you’ve taken the exhibition in, head over to the back of Hall 2.2 to view the cars up for auction with Artcurial.

Among the gems set to go under the hammer of auctioneer and gentleman driver Hervé Poulain is a car that will be forever linked with the 1977 Le Mans 24 Hours – the Alpine A310, known as the “Poisson Dieppois” (lot 162).
At the outset, the Alpine A310 faced the formidable challenge of replacing a French motor racing icon, the A110, better known as the “Berlinette”. However, the project was halted by Renault and the car on sale is the only A310 to have made an appearance at Le Mans. It was entered for the 24-hour race by Bernard Decure, Alpine’s after-sales technical inspector and a talented racing driver to boot, after Hervé Poulain set him the challenge during a meal at the restaurant on the Mulsanne straight! He managed to find a sponsor for his venture – the Chamber of Commerce in Dieppe, Alpine’s home town, which was looking to promote its fishing business – hence the “Poisson Dieppois” nickname.

On 11 June 1977, Bernard Decure and teammates Jacky Cauchy (racing under his nickname "Cochise") and Jean-Luc Thérier started the race from 51st position on the grid. As they approached the twelfth hour of the race, they had moved up to 29th but eventually abandoned at 6.47 am on the Sunday due to issues with the engine overheating. That same year and again in 1978, Renault-Alpine and its A442 and A443 prototypes battled it out for victory against the Porsche 936. In 1977, the A442 driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Derek Bell started from pole but in the end Jacky Ickx, Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood were first past the post in their 936.
In 1978, Bernard Decure entered his A310 for Le Mans again, with two new co-drivers, Guillaume de Saint-Pierre and Denis Morin. However, they were unable to take to the start due to an engine fire and transmission trouble during the tests. That year, Renault-Alpine achieved its goal with victory for the A442B driven by Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. However, Renault decided not to return to Le Mans to defend the title and instead turned its attention to Formula 1 and turbocharged engines. We weren't to see the Alpine A310 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans again either.

Rétromobile exhibition, 3–7 February 2016, Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles. The ACO stand is located on the walkway between Halls 1 and 2.2.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO | Translated from French by Clair Pickworth

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY 11 JUNE 1977, RACE. Bernard Decure’s Alpine A310 just in front of the Renault-Alpine A442 driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Derek Bell, which was leading the race at this point!