Renault Alpine A442B n°2 Winner

LeMans 24 Hours became in 1978 the first priority for the Régie Renault. They knew they would not be given the means to triumph in F1 until Le Mans had been won. The whole year from the autumn 1977 consisted in making the engine reliable and making the victory possible thanks to the many improvements of little details.

Several testing periods were organized to reproduce the race conditions, especially endurance and the stresses imposed by the Les Hunaudières straight.  Air intakes appeared on the rear wing mountings aimed at cooling the brakes.  The reliability of the engine was improved thanks to over 30 modifications including the pistons, distribution and turbo, which improved the flexibility of the engine despite an unchanged power output. Finally on the occasion of the last test in April 1978, the famous Plexiglas cockpit "bubble" was validated. It provided the advantages of a closed car, decreasing drag and increasing the top speed as much as 5 mph on the straights. Some brushes on the underbody intended to generate a ground effect are added.

The car is driven by the young Didier Pironi, whose victory is the first of a beautiful career, and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, whose victory is the cherry on the cake of a beautiful career.

Scale1/32

Manufacturer nameRenault Alpine

Manufacturer modelA442B

BrandLE MANS miniatures

Competitionyes

Race24 Heures du Mans

Year1978

DriverDidier Pironi & Jean-Pierre Jaussaud

EAN3700474500996

BodyPolyurethan resin

ChassisABS

EngineIn-line

CrownSlot.it (ref. GO23-bz or GO24-al)

Rims4 turned aluminum rims

Weight96 g

DriverJean-Pierre Jaussaud

Tiresrubber 30ShoreA