Published on 31 March 2022 at 20:44. L’ARGUS, by Mathieu Sentis.
After the Ravage Modèle Zéro, born from a project between friends, comes the Ravage Groupe 4 La Première: a production model announcing a limited series of ten cars. We had the privilege of driving it after hearing its creators’ remarkable story. Here is our report and road test.
For millions of French people, the March 2020 lockdown was a chance to clear out the cellar, clean inaccessible cupboards or bake bread. For Benoît and Yvan, two Lyon-based motoring enthusiasts, it led to creating a car. The starting point was a modern Alpine A110; the aim was to give it the character they felt it lacked. Rallying, legendary drivers, fine engineering and the 1970s and 1980s shaped their vision of a French specialist. Rather than imitate German or Italian creations, they began imagining their own ideal car.
Yvan provided his own A110 as the starting point. Benoît, drawing on his experience as a Mercedes designer, took on its transformation. ‘With the design direction fixed years in advance, future models left no room for manoeuvre. We drew cars, but it felt as if someone else held the pencil,’ he explains. This time he let his imagination run free while following an established manufacturer’s process: paper sketches, 3D digitisation and a full-scale clay model. The next challenge was getting it onto the road.
‘A simple model did not interest us,’ Benoît continues. ‘The car had to work and be beautifully made, with a small craftsman’s creativity and a major manufacturer’s professionalism.’ Rear wings widened by 8 cm, front wings by 3 cm, an angled exhaust recalling the 1970s Berlinette 1800 Groupe 4 and period Gotti-style split wheels were all made to measure by French craftspeople. Mad’in in Chalon-sur-Saône supplied the wheels, ByFactory in Ablis made the composite body kit, and Kerambellec in Buc handled paint and fitting. Enthusiastic about the project, these partners poured their time into it. Ravage Modèle Zéro was born.
Despite its discreet Pozzi blue paint, borrowed from Ferrari’s palette, Modèle Zéro quickly attracted attention on everyday journeys. Passers-by photographed it and social media took notice. ‘On the Ravage Instagram account we created afterwards, at least one person a day asked how to buy one: French customers, but also Japanese and Americans. After months of saying we did not sell them, we decided to take the plunge. I left a comfortable job for the unknown, but today I do what I enjoy,’ says Benoît. Moving from a one-off to small-series production brought entirely different constraints.
A very limited series
As a rolling prototype, Modèle Zéro gave rise to La Première, pictured here. It is the first car sold, although not quite the next chapter one might expect. ‘Its owner managed to buy a car before Ravages were even on sale,’ Benoît laughs. Working with the same craftspeople, this second example took six months to create. That was less than Modèle Zéro’s two and a half years from first sketch to first drive, but still too long for reasonable delivery times: a twentieth order would mean a ten-year wait.
Vaison Sport in Torcy, Saône-et-Loire, was helping solve that production challenge. Its work ranges from Disneyland stunt cars and three works Mitsubishi Dakar prototypes to restorations or complete reconstructions of rally legends such as the Lancia 037, Ford RS200 and Peugeot 205 Turbo 16. It was well suited to producing the first ten-car Ravage Groupe 4 series, named after the historic rally regulations. Bubble arches, stainless-steel exhaust and mudflaps set the scene. La Première’s livery recalls the Tour de Corse Groupe 4 berlinettes, as its owner requested. ‘This car shows how we adapt to customers’ tastes and wishes,’ says Benoît, after four design sessions with the owner. Four adjustable KW coilovers lower the car over wider tyres front and rear, and an engine remap completes the package. Time to drive it.
Driving the Ravage Gr.4 La Première
After first testing Modèle Zéro on a soaking circuit, we are back at the wheel of La Première, freshly delivered to its owner. Our playground is Team Pilotage 42’s track at Andrézieux, near Saint-Étienne. Dry tarmac makes the chassis changes clearer from the first corners: no dive under braking, no roll on turn-in, firmer steering from the extra grip, and a stronger sense of the whole car moving as one through successive bends.
Less sensitive to weight transfer than the standard A110, La Première rotates less at the rear in hairpins but shows remarkable stability in faster sections. The day’s tight layout does not always highlight that balance, unlike the engine changes. ‘This Ravage introduces our own engine map, developed by an engineer who knows the A110 thoroughly. It is exclusive to Ravage and will not be available to owners of standard Alpines. We aim for the best sensations, not the biggest numbers,’ Benoît explains. The Groupe 4 now delivers 300 hp and 380 Nm.
Tight hairpin exits confirm the engine’s new character: it pulls harder and earlier than the original 252 hp TCe without needing full throttle. Our not-yet-run-in example did not allow us to explore the top of the rev range, but Benoît says the changes bring more torque low down, clearly noticeable, and greater strength higher up, still to be tested. The distinctive exhaust adds to the experience: gruff at idle and smooth under acceleration, it makes the standard A110’s more nasal, artificial tone easy to forget. Must we really give it back?
How much for a Ravage?
After admiring and driving the first two Ravages, that is the obvious question. Pending full details of the kit, Benoît estimates a selling price of €105,000 including a new A110. ‘Ideally, we start with a 252 hp entry-level version at €59,500, new if possible to postpone the first service,’ he says. The team is already considering a dedicated maintenance centre and further aesthetic changes. Next is an interior inspired by the colours and fabrics of the Renault 5 Turbo rather than an imitation of German finishes.
Once the ten Groupe 4 cars are sold, with reservations available at the time against a €5,000 deposit, the team plans a second series following rallying’s evolution from the 1970s to the 1980s. Groupe 4 could give way to Groupe B, with an F40-style vented rear screen, more aggressive bodywork and dedicated mechanical work such as a new turbo or an additional gearbox oil cooler. Former Alpine works World Championship driver Bernard Darniche is working closely with the team on this next step. Could that inspire a limited series bearing his name? With Ravage, nothing seems impossible.
Our warm thanks to the Ravage team for their good humour, to La Première’s owner for his trust, and to Team Pilotage 42 for welcoming us during this report. More information: