Complete Description
- The same owner for 46 years!
- Lightweight body, rare orange colour when new
- Remarkably well preserved
Chassis no. 16763 is a 1600VB berlinette sold new to the company Impact through the Pozzi garage in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. It was registered as 3820 WM 75 on 15 June 1970 in the name of Créations Dauphine, a company on the avenue de Friedland in Paris. Between 1973 and 1980, when it was bought by the current owner, it acquired the chassis plate and registration document for chassis no. 16958. After close examination, however, there can be no doubt as to the identity of 16763:
- The chassis number 16763 is still stamped on the chassis, to the right at the rear, which rules out the possibility that it had been stolen, as the number would obviously have been removed;
- 16763 was originally orange, which can be seen under the Alpine blue paint in several places;
- 16763 still has a metal fuel tank, whereas 16958, which was used in competition, had a larger, plastic fuel tank evident in a photo from the 1973 Lyon-Charbonnières rally;
- The production number 422 from Alpine’s secondary plant at Thiron-Gardais (Eure-et-Loir), visible on the rear engine cover, corresponds to spring 1970 (when 16763 left the factory) rather than autumn that year (when 16958 came off the line);
- The car has the identification plates of 16958, but the rivets are not original Alpine items;
- It still has the ‘white’ Veglia instruments, whereas the dials with green markings had already been introduced in September;
- The heater control is the Renault 8 type, whereas in September the control came from the Renault 12.
After investigation, 16763 still appears in the name of the same company in the computerised vehicle registration system (SIV) 56 years later, and has not been declared stolen! However, neither of these companies still exist in the register of companies. How and when did 16763 end up with the identity of 16958? A mystery ... Perhaps after the company went bankrupt? In any event, the car presented here has never raced, as the lack of any signs of a roll cage show. It is in excellent original condition with a pleasant patina, and its livery recalls that of the 1973 Morocco Rally, the only rally in which the factory competed in the Alpine blue livery with the ‘Vasarely’ Renault graphics. It has a ‘small chassis’, correct for the period, and is still fitted with its original seats. The dashboard is intact, with no modifications, and the interior is in unrestored original condition, with its authentic period floor mats. The engine fitted is a type 807.25, the correct model for the car and probably the original unit; it has a small 353 gearbox and all its protective plates underneath, which is truly exceptional. The front indicators are from an NSU and were only fitted for a single year, in 1970. The car has a lighter body than standard, an option charged at 900 FF at the time.
It should be noted that the 1600VB was listed at 30,400 FF at the start of 1970, and that 16763 was significantly better equipped than 16958. The latter car was invoiced at 30,800 FF, whereas the customer paid 34,000 FF for 16763, representing a considerable 3600 FF worth of options. This information comes from the invaluable archives of Alpine’s Marketing Department. There are no archives for the options fitted to each Alpine built, but apart from the lightweight body, it may be assumed that 16763 probably had a radio (750 FF), seatbelts (280 FF), fog lamps (220 FF) and 13in Gotti bi-metal wheels (900 FF), bringing the final total close to 3600 FF.
Among other unusual points, the car still has its original owner’s manual and the extremely rare tool kit supplied with it, including the Alpine spark plug tool, the only one that makes it easy (well, almost) to remove the four plugs from the engine!
Apart from its somewhat colourful administrative life (a fuller report on the intertwined history of chassis no. 16763 and 16958 may be consulted by buyers), this berlinette has remained very close to its original state, except for its unusual orange colour (no. 12). It was already a featherweight, but with its desirable lightweight body, this 1600S will give its new owner a real thrill, with the choice of keeping its current blue livery or returning it to its lovely original colour, so typical of the 1970s.
Gilles Vallerian
Expert at the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence
