1977 Alpine Berlinette Dimensions, Size & Specs

The Alpine Berlinette from 1976 to 1977 weighs roughly 700 kg (1,543 lbs), making it a very lightweight sports car by both historical and modern standards. This low curb weight enhances acceleration, braking, and cornering capabilities, contributing to the car's nimble and responsive driving experience, which was highly valued in rally and sporty road-driving contexts.

At approximately 1,620 mm (63.78 inches) wide, the Alpine Berlinette is notably narrower than many modern sports coupes, which often exceed 1,800 mm (70.87 inches) in width. This narrower profile helped improve aerodynamics and reduced drag, making it more efficient and easier to maneuver on tight rally stages and narrow roads.

The Alpine Berlinette has a relatively low ground clearance, estimated at around 130 mm (5.12 inches). This low stance enhances stability and handling at higher speeds and cornering but may require careful driving over uneven surfaces or speed bumps. It's a typical feature for sports cars designed primarily for tarmac and rally roads.

The Alpine Berlinette’s interior is compact, consistent with its small overall size and coupe design. Passenger headroom is limited due to its low roofline, typically around 980 mm (38.58 inches), while legroom is cozy but sufficient, prioritizing sport-focused seating and driver engagement over outright comfort or spaciousness. It's best suited for shorter trips or spirited drives rather than long-haul comfort.

Given its compact size with an approximate length of 3,860 mm (151.97 inches), width of 1,620 mm (63.78 inches), and height of 1,240 mm (48.82 inches), the Alpine Berlinette easily fits into a standard residential garage, which usually has minimum dimensions around 6,000 mm by 3,000 mm (236 by 118 inches). Its small footprint makes parking relatively easy in urban settings, though visibility can be limited due to its low seating position.

The 1977 Alpine Berlinette generation maintained much of the compact and lightweight design ethos of earlier models, with only incremental changes. Compared to its predecessor, the overall dimensions stayed quite similar, preserving the small length, narrow width, and low height that defined its sporty character. However, refinements were made to improve aerodynamics and chassis rigidity, advancing handling and stability without increasing size significantly.

Compared to contemporaries like the Porsche 911 from the mid-1970s, the Alpine Berlinette is notably smaller and lighter. While the Porsche 911 measured about 4,225 mm (166.3 inches) in length and weighed around 1,100 kg (2,425 lbs), the Berlinette’s shorter length at 3,860 mm (151.97 inches) and lighter weight under 700 kg (1,543 lbs) make it more compact and agile. This size difference translated into a very different driving dynamic focused on nimbleness over outright power.

The Alpine Berlinette’s compact dimensions and low weight significantly enhance its driving dynamics. Its short length and narrow width enable quick directional changes and tight cornering, which is why the car performed exceptionally in rally environments. The light weight reduces inertia, making acceleration and braking more immediate, while the low height contributes to a low center of gravity, improving stability during high-speed maneuvers.

The Alpine Berlinette 1976-1977 represents the classic era of Alpine sports cars, celebrated for its rally heritage and lightweight engineering. The Berlinette combined a sleek fiberglass body with a Renault-sourced rear-engine layout, offering exceptional handling and performance for its time. This generation is notable for continuing Alpine’s legacy in motorsport, particularly in rallying, where it achieved success due to its balance of power, light weight, and agility. Its unique styling and limited production period also make it a highly sought collector’s car today.