The JIDE was designed by Jacques Durand (hence the name after the initials) and was basically a similar car to the Alpine A110, using a 1300 (later 1600) cc Renault Gordini engine, but in this case placed in front of the rear axle, taking the layout of the Matra Djet.
The car was introduced in 1969 and the prototype, driven by Henri Rimaudiere, beat several Alpines and Porsche 911s during a national rallye. Also Jean Ragnotti had been using JDs in his early life.
Even taking into account its sporty successes, production never reached high levels and ceased in 1974. Production figures vary. Several cars were present at the Le Mans Classic in June 2006, and total production figures given there were 140, 150 and 200 respectively, whereby obviously nobody cared about the differences. It is a rare car though, so it is nice to have a few presented here.
Last edited by henk4; 07-25-2006 at 01:40 AM.
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