The A110, the car that will be relaunching the Alpine brand, the famed French sports car and racing company, now a wholly owned part of Renault, has made its dynamic debut (which means it’s the first time the car has been demonstrated actually doing stuff) at the ongoing Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it dashed up the hillclimb.
It was the first time we’ve actually seen and heard unvarnished footage of the mid-engine A110, which is due to launch first in European markets closer toward the end of the year. And being one of the most anticipated cars of 2017, clearly there’s a lot of curiosity surrounding its arrival, and its appearance gives helpful insight about how we can expect the car to perform when that launch day finally arrives.
Slotted in the middle of its bespoke aluminium shell and structure is a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a healthy amount of Renault Sport DNA thrown in for good measure. Naturally, it’s quite a light motor that will help keep that kerb weight fixed at 1,080kg, but in-turn produces 187kW and 320Nm of torque, endowing it with a power-to-weight ratio of roughly 172kW/tonne, more than the standard Porsche 718 Cayman but a little less than the Cayman S.
Alpine has now confirmed that it will manage the century sprint in just 4.5 seconds, undercutting the Porsche, while in fact chassis response, communicativeness, and agility were prioritised over outright speed, or so says the main team responsible for its development - many of them plucked from Renault Sport.
It’s rumoured that this engine will also be powering the upcoming Renault Megane RS, and will also be paired with the slightly controversial Getrag-sourced 7-speed dual-clutch EDC automatic that will be offered on the imminent hot hatch as well. The decision to have that be the only transmission for the current Clio RS was also had mixed reactions.
By all indications, however, the Alpine A110 will not want for luxury as there’s plenty of plush leather to be enjoyed within the cabin, cozy though it is. There’s even a large touchscreen infotainment display and digital instrument cluster to enjoy.
