Being the first car to win the World Rally Championship in 1973, Alpine’s original A110 Berlinette was a formidable race car between the 1960-80s. When Renault introduced the Alpine brand, the motorsport heritage was certain to show up soon. The resurrected carmaker revived the A110 moniker earlier this year. Now, following suit, the A110 Cup race car has been introduced for the one-make championship, the Alpine Europa Cup.
The A110 race car was engineered by racing team Sigmatech (Alpine’s WEC racing partner) with the assistance of Renault Sports. The same 1.8-litre straight-four turbocharged motor has been blown with a new intake and exhaust system to produce 270bhp, 20bhp more than the standard car. The turning force is maintained at 320Nm. All the firepower is channelled to the rear wheels via a specially developed six-speed sequential transmission. It is also equipped with a limited slip, self-locking differential.
The lightweight monocoque is modified with a new suspension geometry and the ride height is lowered by 40mm. The body has been specially strengthened with new welded subframe and suspension attachment points apart from a welded-in roll cage for stiff setup.
In a proper race car style, Ohlins' four spring-shock absorbers are compression- and rebound-adjustable. The Cup car rides on slick Michelin rubber. Braking responsibility is taken care by six-piston callipers Brembo with 355mm ventilated disc up front and 330mm at the rear. The ABS and traction control can be easily adjusted or completely disabled. On the safety front, The A110 Cup comes fitted with Sabelt bucket seat with built-in head restraints, six-point HANS-compatible harness, automatic fire extinguisher, dry battery, and master switch. The race car keeps the air-conditioning system and allows for a second bucket seat to be fitted without modification.
The A110 Cup will undergo a major testing and development programme with FIA WEC Alpine drivers Nicolas Lapierre and Nelson Panciatici behind the wheel. Signatech's target is to complete at least 7,500km of testing, the equivalent of three full seasons in the Alpine Europa Cup.
Alpine is retailing the A110 Cup at 100,000 euros. The FIA-approved Europa Cup will be contested over six meetings and twelve races with 20 cars on the grid. The season will kick off in June at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France, continuing in Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain. At the end of the season, the top drivers will share more than 160,000 euros of prize money.
