Love it or hate it, the automotive industry of today is not lacking for its exercises in reviving old nameplates. The trend ranges from Mini to Maybach, from Dodge Dart to Dodge Challenger. And the French are certainly not immune. Citroën revived its fabled DS moniker for a range of premium hatchbacks, and Renault – most of all – has been mulling bringing back the Alpine for years now.

Arguably just as central to Renault’s performance heritage as the recently revived Gordini line, Alpine made mid-engined sportscars with Renault mechanicals starting in the 1950s and discontinued four decades later. Its most famous model, however, was the A110 (pictured above), which is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. And if a new report from Autocar is accurate, Renault has no intention of letting the occasion slip by unnoticed.

In fact, the French automaker is reportedly planning an Alpine concept car to unveil at the Paris Motor Show next fall. But the question remains whether there’s any production potential with such a concept. The French are known for producing some rather intriguing show cars – sportscars in particular – that never seem to get very far from the show stand, from the GTbyCitroën to the Renault DeZir.

Whether Renault can make the business case – without the North American market, at that – to take on the sports car establishment remains to be seen, but having the Nissan product bin to raid certainly couldn’t hurt.

Renault planning 50th anniversary Alpine tribute concept for Paris originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been 50 years since Volvo introduced the P1800, and the Swedish automaker has chosen to mark the occasion by releasing a few sketches of what a modern interpretation of the sports coupe would look like. Christopher Benjamin, chief designer with Volvo, just so happens to be a big fan of the P1800 and worked up the sketches as part of a Twitter chat with fans of the brand. Needless to say, the sketches have created a serious stir among the Volvo faithful, but the company has made it clear there are no plans to bring a modernized P1800 to market.

That’s a real shame, too. We can imagine such a vehicle would give the Audi A5 a serious run for its money depending on final driveline decisions.

Unfortunately, Volvo is still too busy shoring up its core products to worry about branching off into low-volume niches, at least for the moment. If you like the look of Benjamin’s sketches, head over to the Volvo Facebook page to let him know.

Volvo designer pens P1800 for 50th anniversary, no chance at production originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are always at least a few Shelby Cobras at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Monterey Motorsports Reunion, mixing it up with Shelby Mustangs and Corvettes, but for 2012 there will be quite a few more. Laguna Seca has announced that the Cobra has been selected as the featured vehicle for 2012 in honor of the car’s 50th anniversary.

Like with the Ferrari 250 GTO that celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, it’s likely that many of the other events during the Monterey Car Week will be honoring the Shelby Cobra as well. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Cobra was also honored at the Quail Motorsports Gathering or given a separate class at Pebble Beach. Either way, if you’re a Shelby or a Cobra fan, start making plans to be in Monterey next August.

You can read more about the announcement in the press release after the jump, or get a taste of what’s coming next year with our gallery of Cobra photos above.

Continue reading 2012 Monterey Motorsports Reunion to feature 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra

2012 Monterey Motorsports Reunion to feature 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 250 GTO has long been considered the most desirable Ferrari of all time, and up until last year was regarded as the most valuable car in the world. The 250 GTO’s rarity (just 39 were produced including a single prototype), its success in international racing in the 1960s, and the beautiful shape designed by Bizzarrini are an unmatched combination.

The 50th anniversary of the 250 GTO is just around the corner, and to celebrate, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has decided to hold a gathering of as many of the cars as possible. An invite has been sent out to each of the owners, and more than half have already committed to attend. If it’s anything like the Jaguar XK-SS reunion held at Pebble Beach last year, then the sight should be nothing less than epic. Hit the jump for the official PR from Pebble Beach, or peruse through our collection of Ferrari 250 GTO photos in the gallery below.

Continue reading Pebble Beach to celebrate 50th anniversary of Ferrari 250 GTO with historic gathering

Pebble Beach to celebrate 50th anniversary of Ferrari 250 GTO with historic gathering originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 May 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 marks half a century since the very first Cobra was released on the street, and to celebrate, Shelby has announced a limited-edition 50th Anniversary model that was introduced at Barrett-Jackson earlier today. Using CSX8000 chassis numbers, each of the continuation cars will be painted in “Shelby Black” and feature a premium leather interior, wire wheels and special badging.

Pricing for a 50th Anniversary Cobra rolling chassis (car minus drivetrain) is set at ,995 or 4,995 for an aluminum-bodied car. Expensive, yes, but with just 50 units slated for production, we can see them getting snapped up pretty quickly. Hit the jump for the full details from Shelby.

[Source: Shelby]

Continue reading Shelby celebrates original Cobra’s 50th anniversary with special edition continuation car

Shelby celebrates original Cobra’s 50th anniversary with special edition continuation car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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