It’s been a while since the previous Alpine car rolled off the factory lines and into customer hands, with the last release being in 1995 by our estimations with A610 coupe, making the imminent premiere of next car a bit of an occasion for the Renault-owned French firm.
With the consistent teasers and spy pictures emerging of this compact mid-engine sports car, the world has a decently accurate idea of what to expect. But also seems that Alpine has actually begun taking orders for this new car, which has yet to even have its name confirmed.
It has been long rumoured to be dubbed the A120, a spiritual successor 40 years in the making to what was arguably Alpine’s most successful and recognisable product, the A110. It will also bear a very close resemblance to the Alpine Vision concept that was revealed earlier this year.
The orders were for the ‘Premiere Edition’ cars, a limited run of first 1,995 units to roll off the factory in Dieppe, France. Potential customers in Europe will have to shovel over 2,000 Euros (or AU$2,800) as a deposit and place their order via a smartphone app that runs on both iOS and Android.
The only variable would-be owners can toggle would be their choice of exterior colour on their ‘Premiere Edition’: white, black, and blue. And as for the total sum that the next Alpine car will on sale at, the smart money is pegging it starting at 55,000 Euros (or AU$78,000), putting it squarely in Porsche 718 Boxster territory.
A bold move.
However, non ‘Premiere Edition’ units might be priced lower and could therefore undercut the Porsche by a margin wide enough to entice buyers over to the French fold. Previous reports suggest that a 1.8-litre four-cylinder Renault engine from the Clio RS will be powering the Alpine, producing 186kW at the base level, with a more potent version using the same engine tuned to 224kW or more.
It should be pretty brisk too, with its modest dimensions and emphasis on low weight making for an impressive power-to-weight ratio that’s analogous to the Alfa Romeo 4C.
Alpine also seems to have kept the Vision Concept’s shapely body, as evidenced by a recent teaser video released last week. Even layers of camouflage couldn’t distract from its lovely exterior.
For more on Renault vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
