ROADPOL's French National Gendarmerie

Back In Alpine After 55 Years

ROADPOL member, the National Gendarmerie of France, will be riding the Alpine autos again after 55 years, French Ministry of Interior announced in a press release.

26 pieces of the Alpine are to be produced for the Gendarmerie. PHOTO: DRThe ministry confirmed previous reports of the imminent acquisition of 26 Renault Alpine A110 Pure vehicles. “These vehicles will allow the Gendarmerie to carry out interventions on the motorway, involving cars in violation at high speed or Judicial police missions against drug trafficking. The cars will also be used for rapid response training”, the ministry said.

Tender

Renault won the 4-year production and delivery contract after responding to the call for tenders initiated in June 2021. Initially it was Seat which was to equip the Gendarmerie. Indeed, in September 2020 reports surfaced that the currently used Renault Mégane RS would be replaced by the Seat Leon Cupra. The choice of the Spanish manufacturer, part of Volkswagen Group, was publicly rendered controversial, forcing the ministry to abandon negotiations, recalls French automobile magazine “L’argus”.

The Gendarmerie has used the Alpine back in the 60s. PHOTO: DRProduction

The total of 26 Renault Alpine A110 Pure will be manufactured at the Dieppe plant (department Seine-Maritime) then transformed by the coachbuilder Durisotti, in Sallaumines, near Lens (department Pas-de-Calais). These vehicles, which will replace the Mégane RS and Leon Cupra, are expected to enter service in mid-2022. “Their order contributes to the modernization and rejuvenation of the car fleet”, concluded the ministry. As BFMTV website reminds, the Alpine has already been used by the Gendarmerie. It was first introduced to the service in 1967 before being discontinued later. On the free market the new model that the gendarmes will drive is sold in France starting from 58,400 EUR.