The Tour de Corse has always been one of the most demanding tarmac events on the European rally calendar, and in 1969 the Alpine A110 Berlinette was the machine best suited to its mountain roads. Trofeu's 1:43 scale model focuses on a specific, visually arresting moment in that history: the car as it appeared under the auxiliary driving lamps of a Corsican night stage, carrying the number 55 of J.P. Manzagol and J.P. Oliva.
The Alpine A110 Berlinette: Lightweight Engineering from Dieppe
Introduced in 1961 and produced continuously until 1977, the Alpine A110 Berlinette was built around a tubular steel backbone chassis clothed in a fibreglass body — a combination that kept kerb weight well below that of most rivals. Power came from a rear-mounted Renault-sourced four-cylinder engine. The result was a car that felt at home on the narrow, unforgiving tarmac of Corsica in a way that heavier, front-engined machines simply could not replicate.
Corsica After Dark: The 1969 Tour de Corse and Its Night Stages
The 1969 Tour de Corse was a round of the European Rally Championship, held on the mountain roads of Corsica, France — a circuit renowned for its precision tarmac demands. Alpine A110s dominated the entry list, the cars' agility and low mass making them the natural choice for privateer and works crews alike. Car No. 55, driven by J.P. Manzagol with J.P. Oliva, tackled sections run in complete darkness, where auxiliary driving lamps mounted at the front of the car were not a cosmetic addition but a functional necessity. That bank of lights became a defining visual signature of the A110 in its Corsican night-stage configuration. The A110 would go on to claim the inaugural WRC manufacturers' title in 1973, and the 1969 Tour de Corse represents exactly the competitive season that built that reputation.
Trofeu's 1:43 Scale Model: Die-Cast Accuracy in the RR France Series
Trofeu is a Portuguese specialist known within the collector community for its methodical coverage of European rally subjects, with Alpine, Lancia, and contemporary tarmac machinery among its strongest areas. This model forms part of the dedicated RR France series. Construction is in die-cast metal, and the Night Version specification means the model carries the auxiliary front lamps that set it apart from any standard-stage rendering of the same car. At 1:43, the detail is concentrated on the exterior surfaces: the fibreglass body lines of the Berlinette, the period rally number graphics, and crucially those lamps that make the car immediately recognisable as a night-stage competitor.
In the Display Cabinet: Corsican Rally History at 1:43
At 1:43, the Alpine A110 Berlinette is a model that stands out on the shelf, ideal for a dedicated rally display without demanding excessive space. The Night Version configuration makes it a natural diorama subject — a darkened stage setting would suit it particularly well. It pairs logically with other Trofeu and Spark Alpine A110 Tour de Corse editions spanning 1966–1973, or with contemporary 1969 rivals such as the Lancia Fulvia HF. For collectors tracing Alpine's full competition trajectory, this car sits directly in the sequence leading to the 1973 WRC manufacturers' championship.
