For the 100th birthday of Jean Rédélé, the local child who died in 2007 and who created the Alpine brand, Dieppe (Seine-Maritime) did things big. All weekend, the world of “alpinists” – that’s the consecrated expression – met in the streets of the corsair city on the occasion of a gathering of 1000 Alpine on the front of sea.
“We even exceeded that number. This morning, we were at 1076 registered, ”says a volunteer from the organization which brings together the history of the Amicale des Anciens d’Alpine, the Alpine Club of Dieppe and the employees of the Club Alpine Usine de Dieppe. Among the highlights of the weekend, parades of the famous “berlinettas” and other A310s of course, but also the exceptional presence of a Formula 1 car since Alpine has found its way back to the World Championship circuits since 2021. noise”, warns one of the organizers.
“It’s a bit like a pilgrimage”
From all over Europe, fans of the Dieppe brand have therefore converged on where it all began in 1955. “Me, it’s the first time I’ve come. It’s a bit like a pilgrimage”, smiles Jonathan, 32, “mountaineer” from father to son. He arrived from Dijon aboard his GTA. And admire that of Geoff Hill, an English pensioner from Yorkshire. “It was the first that was sold in England in August 1986. And I bought it 16 years ago,” explains the man who contracted the virus while working in his early days for Renault, which bought the company. mark in 1973.
Along the aisles, the exchanges are numerous. Anecdotes and technical details abound. “The Alpine community is not fussing,” slips another volunteer. We don’t all have the same means, but we share the same passion. »