The Ypres Rally — formally the Rallye des Flandres — was by 1974 a well-established fixture on the Belgian Rally Championship calendar, run across the tarmac roads of West Flanders. Trofeu's RRbe series exists precisely to document entries like this one: car No. 9, a privateer Alpine A110 crewed by Maurice Nusbaumer and co-driver Luc Pyncket, competing in the night-stage configuration that defines this release.
The Alpine A110 Berlinette
Produced by Alpine from 1962 to 1977, the A110 is a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive berlinette built on a tubular backbone chassis. In rally trim the Renault-sourced inline-4 produced approximately 140–180 hp. The combination of low weight and tarmac agility made the A110 a dominant force in European rallying, culminating in the inaugural World Rally Championship manufacturers' title in 1973.
Car No. 9 at the 1974 Ypres Night Stages
By 1974 the Alpine factory had shifted its programme to the A310, but privateer and semi-works crews continued to campaign the A110 with considerable success across European national championships. At the Ypres Rally that year, Nusbaumer and Pyncket ran car No. 9 through the event's night special stages — the defining visual moment this model captures. Trofeu's 'Night Version' designation specifically references this nocturnal appearance, including the auxiliary driving lamps that characterised night-stage preparation of the period.
The Trofeu 1:43 Scale Model Car
Trofeu is a Portuguese specialist manufacturer with a long-standing focus on rally entries that mainstream brands routinely ignore. This 1:43 die-cast model is part of the RRbe series, dedicated to Belgian rally entries. The series is notable for covering individual privateer cars — the Nusbaumer/Pyncket A110 is precisely the kind of historically specific entry that Trofeu targets. The night-version release is a distinct model from any day-stage variant, representing a separate collectible within the series.
In the Display Cabinet
At 1:43, the A110 berlinette is a compact, shelf-friendly model that stands out on the shelf alongside other Trofeu RRbe releases from the same 1974 Ypres event, allowing a representative grid to be assembled. It also pairs logically with 1:43 renditions of the 1973 WRC-winning A110 works cars, contextualising the marque's sustained competitive presence into the privateer era. Collectors focused on Belgian rally history or the broader Alpine A110 competition story will find this night-version release a distinct and non-duplicated addition.
