The manufacture of the Alpine A110 dedicated to the rapid intervention teams (ERI) of the Gendarmerie, are ready! Discover the manufacturing process of its coupés (almost) like the others, from their manufacture in Dieppe (76) to their transformation at Durisotti in Sallaumines (59).
In mid-December 2021, the Ministry of the Interior was proud to announce the signing of a contract with Alpine and Durisotti for the delivery of 26 A110s dedicated to the rapid intervention teams of the Gendarmerie (ex-BRI). At that time, only two copies had been assembled for the purposes of the official presentation… The editorial staff of The argus therefore decided to follow the manufacturing and transformation process of the other 24 models by going to Dieppe (76) and Sallaumines (59).
>> Behind the scenes of the production of the A110 gendarmerie in photos <<
An A110 made like the others!
It all started in Seine-Maritime, in the historic Alpine factory… This is where, like all A110s, the 26 units dedicated to the gendarmes were born. The manufacturing process for coupes dedicated to law enforcement is strictly the same as for the gentleman’s car. everyone. The aluminum parts of the chassis come from the Renault factory based in Sandouville (76), since Alpine does not have a stamping center. The 76,000 m² site, based in town, did not allow everything to be integrated. The elements are assembled together with the help of 6 robots.
Once the hull has been made, Alpine sends everything back to Renault to carry out the cataphoresis operations, the anti-corrosion treatment. Back in Dieppe (what a long way already!), the A110s go to the paint shop. Contrary to past years, the Gendarmerie no longer carries out special orders. The colors are taken directly from the manufacturers’ catalogue. For the coupé, they set their sights on the Bleu Abysse.
” It is a completely standard vehicle. recalls Francis Perini, the director of the Alpine factory. The Berlinetta 2.0 are equipped with the 1.8 turbo engine in its 252 hp configuration (some examples now develop 300 hp). The A110s of the Blues only receive 18 ” rims and ” big brakes “says Francis Perini. ” But we can say between us that any customer can acquire his options, it’s in the catalog he adds. The only difference comes from the fact that the cars leave the chains with unmounted interior trim. This facilitates the work of the Durisotti partner, who will in particular have to pass a whole bunch of electrical cables…
The panoply of gendarmes
The Alpine A110s arrive covered, in the North, with their associated spare parts box (roof, sun visor, etc.)! They join a dedicated and secure workshop, where 5 people from Durisotti are dedicated to them. All copies are stored in the same place. A dismantling operation then begins to remove the bucket seats in particular. These will be covered with a reinforced cover to withstand the repeated climbs and descents of the gendarmes and whose equipment (weapons in particular) damages the seats. This is not the only element on which the bodybuilder has worked.
Prior to the arrival of the Alpines, the bodybuilder’s design office had to think about how to install the radios and had to develop a specific variable display panel to adapt to the cramped conditions of the cabin. Another peculiarity: the company has added a discreet button to the bottom left of the dashboard. It would allow the gendarmes to go into stealth mode by cutting off all interior and exterior lights. The operators also had the task of drilling the roof to install the beacon or the new antenna. Note that the roof is reinforced with metal plates to ensure better radon reception. Finally, the penetration lights are installed at the bottom of the windshield and not in the grille as on other vehicles.
In total, Durisotti mobilized 20 people on this project and added 30 kg of equipment to the A110s. In addition, the bodybuilder has reinforced the glazing of each A110 Gendarmerie to resist any stone chips. Two security films of 800 microns in total have been applied to the windows (except the windscreen). The drying took 4 weeks between each application. With screen printing, which is also part of Durisotti’s missions, it takes about 18 hours to modify a classic A110 into a police version.
The Alpine A110 Gendarmerie join the squadrons
On April 7, Durisotti announced that it had completed the transformation of the remaining 24 Alpines. Ln April 15, the coupés were loaded onto trucks and are therefore on their way to rejoin their respective highway platoon. Next step: the handling of the A110s by the ERIs and their first laps. An adventure to which The argus will also take part… To be continued, then!
TO READ. Alpine 110 Gendarmerie (2022). Who can drive it?
