Renault’s resurrected Alpine brand has risen like a phoenix with a new lightweight, mid-engined sports car. With driving pleasure as their primary focus the new Alpine is named after the most successful car that wore that name – the A110 ‘Berlinette’
Alpine started with a bespoke all-aluminium chassis for the A110 to make it as lightweight as possible. As a result, the A110 weighs just 1080kg packed in a compact dimension. The sports car measures 4178mm in length, is 1798mm wide and 1252mm in height, with 44 per cent of weight is tipped up front and 56 per cent goes to the rear. The low centre of gravity helps with nimble and agile handling for the famous mountain road drives Alpine’s were famous for.
The biggest mystery behind the A110 was its powerplant, which has been revealed to be a 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine sourced from Renault-Nissan Alliance. With the power output of 250bhp and 320Nm, the power-to-weight ratio of 230bhp per tonne helps the A110 to accelerate 0-100kmph in 4.5seconds. The power is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed ‘Getrag’ dual-clutch gearbox. The A110 has three driving modes – Normal, Sport, and Track. The top speed is electronically limited to 250kmph. Braking responsibilities are taken care by specially developed Brembos.
A special care was given on aerodynamics on the A110 providing it with supercar and motorsport world inspired ‘flat floor’ that helps with more downforce without drag and a stable airflow underneath the car. This, along with the functional diffuser, helps Alpine to do away with a rear spoiler.
The coupe has got the tail lights straight out of the Alpine Vision Concept and so is the fastback roofline. The A110 has a curved rear windshield as seen on the original A110 and the other celebrated cars of its time. At the front, the circular fog lamps inching ahead on the nose and the headlamp design has also been taken from the original A110. You could see the retro hints all around the car, the centre-bonnet crease, for example.
Alpine will sell the first 1,955 units of the car as Première Edition which would include a host of limited edition equipment. All the A110 will be manufactured at Alpine’s historic facility in Dieppe, where all the legendary Alpine sports cars were manufactured. Priced at 58,500 Euros (Rs 41.18 lakh), with deliveries starting in only 2018.
