Alpine A110-the sports car you never heard about
Alpine A110 (pronounced Al-peen), is a special little sports car from the French Automaker Renault, which worked closely with the small sports car making before buying it out completely. The A110 is a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car that was developed by Renault-Nissan and then worked over by Alpine engineers.
The new A110 pulls heavily from the design of the original A110—such as the sloped rear roof line and bulbous headlights. Today’s A110 is packed with technology and lightweight materials. Power comes from a turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder making 250 horsepower. There’s a rumor of a more powerful version in development called the A110 Sport. This is said to make up to 300 horsepower. The regular A110 is said to hit 62 miles per hour in just 4.5 seconds.
The Alpine A110 also weight just 2,432 pounds. The A110 sport is said to also cut weight by about 110 pounds. Power is sent through the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Everything about the Alpine A110 is fun—from the styling to its performance numbers. It’s a welcome addition to an otherwise uncrowded market. The Alpine A110 goes up against the likes of the Porsche 718 Cayman and Alfa Romeo 4C. Expect pricing to be of similar ilk—in the mid five digits.
With a Sport model expected with more power and performance, we may even get to see a roadster version to compete with the Boxster if the A110 sells well enough. In the meantime, though, you will have to take a plane to drive one. The Alpine A110 won’t be sold in the U.S.
