PRV Concept
FR / EN
Home/Vehicles/Alpine A310 V6

Alpine A310 —
the PRV moves to the back

The first PRV Alpine, and one of the rare road cars to have received it with carburettors: 2,664 cc, two Solexes, 150 bhp — type 112-730 —, hung behind the rear axle in a glass-fibre body built at Dieppe. Our Library holds its factory repair guide of October 1977.

150
bhp DIN at 6,250 rpm
10,1
: 1 · the highest compression ratio in the Library
225
km/h · 0-100 in 7.8 s (brochure)
1977
factory repair guide
Engines

A Renault-Alpine type, not a code

Alpine never struck an engine code of its own: 112.7.30 is a Renault-Alpine type number, a variant of the Renault 30's carburetted 2,664 cc — documented on the Z7V file. 88 mm bore × 73 mm stroke, 10.1:1 compression, a single-choke Solex 34 TBIA and a twin-choke 35 CEEI, 150 bhp DIN at 6,250 rpm and 20.8 m.daN at 3,500, 15 CV fiscal rating.

Alpine A310 V6 A310 2700 VA · first generation Every known code →
112-730150 bhp
2,664 cc34 TBIA + 35 CEEI carburettors12 valvesRenault-Alpine typeZ7V engine file →
A310 V6 (2700 VA) — the first-generation 2.7-litre raised to 150 bhp by its compression ratio; idle 800 rpm, 6.5 l of oil including 0.25 for the filter, firing order 1-6-3-5-2-4 like every PRV. The dressed engine weighs about 152 kg, engine and gearbox 225 kg.
The October 1977 guide

Four main bearings, never five

The A310 2700 VA factory repair guide is one of the three workshop sources establishing, twenty years apart, that the PRV crankshaft runs on FOUR main bearings and not five — with the Renault 30's M.R.167 and the Renault « Z engines » manual. It is also THE workshop source for the carburetted 2,664 cc, where period sheets only give the figures: torques, valve timing, settings of the two Solexes, timing of the twin-breaker distributor, diagnostic socket.

The guide is in the Library — engine section, ignition section — with the 1978 Pub et Trade sheet and the PRV brochure that lines up the four Alpines.

152
KG · THE DRESSED ENGINE · A310 2700 VA GUIDE
2664
CC
10,1
: 1 · COMPRESSION RATIO
4
CRANKSHAFT MAIN BEARINGS
The Alpine line

150, 160, 200… then 250

One of the seven with carburettors

Seven road cars had a carburetted PRV V6: Peugeot 504 and 604 (2.7 L, 136 bhp), Renault 30 (131 bhp), Volvo 260 (125 bhp), Alpine A310 V6 (150 bhp), Talbot Tagora (166 bhp — the most powerful of the carburetted 2.7s) and, alone in 2.8 L, the naturally aspirated Alpine GTA (160 bhp).

Production changes, number by number

The guide dates each change by a serial number. From no. 44 101, the exhaust link and Paulstra mount are no longer fitted; from no. 44 271 — plus seven isolated cars —, the exhaust manifolds go from 41 to 43 mm, which requires new front pipes; from no. 46 354, the drain plug is replaced by a coolant warning thermo-switch. Cooling side: steel tubes in the backbone and left-hand filler (44 657), bleed under the water pump (44 369), clips on every hose (44 340), thermo-switch ref. 60 00 056 901 (43 877) — the circuit's « 2nd layout » dates from build no. 44 657.

GTA, then A610

The GTA succeeded the A310 with the 2,849 cc Z6W-A 700 — 7 % more power and 11 % more torque, according to élan 77 — then the 200 bhp Z7U turbo; the A610 crowned the line at 250 bhp. The PRV brochure lines up the four: A310 225 km/h and 7.8 s to 100, V6 GT 235 km/h and 8 s, V6 Turbo 250 km/h and 7 s, A610 265 km/h and 5.9 s.

In the workshop

What the guide says about the A310 2700 VA

Eight answers drawn from the October 1977 repair guide — the FAQ has dozens on the A310.

Alpine A310 V6 The full FAQ →
Identité
What is the identity card of the Alpine A310 2700 VA's V6?
Type 112.7.30, six cylinders in V, 88 mm bore × 73 mm stroke, 2664 cc, compression ratio 10.1:1 — the highest in the Library — 150 hp DIN at 6250 rpm and 20.8 m.daN at 3500, 15 French fiscal horsepower. Fed by two Solex carburettors: a 34 TBIA single barrel and a 35 CEEI twin barrel. Idle 800 rpm. Oil capacity 6.5 litres (0.25 of it for the filter). Firing order 1-6-3-5-2-4, like every PRV. Two figures the web data sheets never give: the dressed engine weighs about 152 kg, and engine plus manual gearbox about 225 kg. The engine carries two identification plates — one riveted to the crankcase, the other glued to the timing cover — giving the type, the RNUR identity and the build number. Alpine A310 2700 VA repair guide, engine section, folio B-5a.
Ralenti · CO
What are the idle setting and CO content of the A310 2700 VA?
Idle at 800 ± 25 rpm. With an infrared CO-CO₂ analyser, set the volume screw (A) and the mixture screw (B) to obtain 2.5 to 3.5% CO. Without an analyser, aim for under 4.5% CO: find maximum speed on the mixture screw, come back to 800 rpm on the volume screw, then screw the mixture in to lose 60 rpm without upsetting smoothness. The manual ends with: “after adjustment, seal the mixture screw”. The two carburettors are a single-barrel Solex 34 TBIA and a twin-barrel Solex 35 CEEI. A310 2700 VA repair guide, folios B-11a and B-102b.
Calage
What ignition timing and advance curves on the Alpine A310 2700 VA?
Check with the engine at 80 °C, dwell angles and initial timing correct, idle at 800 rpm, reference taken on the “O” notch of the plate, offset timing light on cylinder no. 1. Initial advance: 10°. Main advance (initial + centrifugal), vacuum pipe disconnected and plugged: 1,050 rpm → 10 to 12° · 2,000 → 19 to 23° · 3,000 → 25 to 29° · 4,000 → 31 to 35° · 4,500 → 35 to 39°. Vacuum advance, read at 2,000 rpm (main advance 22°): 200 mm Hg → 0° · 300 → 7° (permitted curve 4 to 10°) · 400 → 14° (11 to 17°) · 450 and above → 16° (13 to 19°). A310 2700 VA repair guide, folio C-13.
Bougies
Which spark plugs on the Alpine A310 2700 VA?
Champion BN 9 Y, electrode gap 0.55 to 0.65 mm. The guide adds a detail that matters on reassembly: they are gasketless, taper-seat plugs — the torque table gives them at 1.7 to 2 m.daN. On a taper seat in an aluminium head, it is the torque that seals, not a crushed washer. A310 2700 VA repair guide, folios C-2 and B-15.
Culasse
What is the cylinder-head torque on the Alpine A310 2700 VA?
When refitting a head: run all the bolts down, tighten them to 6 m.daN in sequence to crush the gasket, then slacken, pre-tighten to 2 m.daN and apply a 115° angular tightening. The re-torque after a gasket change (between 500 and 1,000 km) repeats those last three steps, with the engine cooled for at least 6 hours — bolt by bolt, in sequence, with the Mot. 50 wrench then the Mot. 591-01 angle tool. The manual allows the hurried variant: after only one hour of cooling, tighten to 3.5 m.daN before the angle. A310 2700 VA repair guide, folios B-6a and B-23.
Resserrage
How long must you wait before re-tightening an A310's head?
Six hours of cooling at least — and the guide covers the case where you cannot wait: “NOTE: after only one hour of cooling, tighten the head bolts to 3.5 m.daN then carry out the angle tightening” instead of the usual 2 m.daN. A head still warm does not take torque the same way: you compensate at the pre-tightening stage. Two further points are worth knowing. First, before anything else you must slacken the inlet manifold bolts and those holding the timing cover to the heads, or the head is clamped. Second, the 1000 km re-torque is no longer required on new and exchange engines — “improvements on the production line allow it to be skipped” — but it remains compulsory after any head gasket replacement, between 500 and 1000 km. Alpine A310 2700 VA repair guide, engine section, folios B-6a and B-23.
Huile
How much oil does an A310 2700 VA take?
6.5 litres — but only from the 1978 model year: “the sump capacity was raised to 6.5 l on 1978 model year 2700 VAs. The dipstick was modified accordingly”. On an earlier car the original dipstick (part no. 77 00 268 538) therefore shows marks that no longer match if you fill to the new capacity. The guide offers better than a warning: the dimensioned drawing to modify the old dipstick by grinding — new maximum at 6.5 l, new minimum at 6 l. It is exactly the sort of detail which, ignored, makes a perfectly healthy car look like it is using oil or running low. A reminder: 0.25 litre of that capacity goes into the filter. Alpine A310 2700 VA repair guide, engine section, folios B-5a and B-74b.
DeLorean
Is the DeLorean workshop manual a translation of the Alpine guide?
It derives from it very directly, and a cross-reading leaves little doubt. Same dimensions: liner protrusion 0.16 to 0.23 mm “as close to 0.23 as possible”, base seals blue 0.087 · white 0.102 · red 0.122 · yellow 0.147, 72 mm piston pin, rings 1.5 / 2 / 4 mm, thrust washers 2.30 · 2.40 · 2.45 · 2.50, rod nuts at 4.5 m.daN, mains pre-torqued to 3 m.daN then 75°. Same gestures: pin shrunk at 250 °C with a piece of solder as the gauge, rocker shaft turned round but never reversed, 5.35 and 8.2 mm spacers, piston no. 1 15 mm before TDC to fit the heads, 150° of crankshaft between left and right timing, right down to the wording on the tensioners: “ne pas aider son action” — “do not assist the tensioner”. Even the same worked example for shim selection (0.10 and 0.08 mm, hence a red tag). The DeLorean did not merely receive Renault's engine: it received its workshop documentation. Alpine A310 2700 VA repair guide, engine section, folios B-9, B-19, B-35, B-46, B-49 and B-65; DeLorean workshop manual, engine section.

In the Library

The factory guide in two excerpts, the period workshop sheet and the PRV brochure, readable page by page: A310 2700 VA repair guide — engine (October 1977) · A310 2700 VA repair guide — ignition · A310 2,664 cc 150 bhp — 1978 Pub et Trade sheet · PRV Z7X-744 brochure — the four Alpines side by side

On the forum

The A310 has its own section on the forum — presentations, restorations, questions to members who drive one. Alpine A310 section →

The engine behind the A310

The carburetted 2.7-litre of the Z7V family — and the GTA that followed.

Z7V file →GTA file →A610 file → All vehicles →