Pricing and specifications have been announced for the highly anticipated Alpine A110, a modern interpretation of a car that first made its debut in 1961. Three specifications will be made available to Australian customers, starting from $97,000 excluding on-road costs, competing with both the Alfa Romeo 4C and Porsche 718 Cayman.
Bearing the same name as the original, the 2018 Alpine A110 follows closely to its philosophy of lightness and agility, benefitting from Renault Sport’s expertise in sporty road cars and motorsports. They will be sold via an network of Alpine dealerships, the first being in Brighton, Victoria, located next to the existing Renault showroom on the Nepean highway.
The first A110 to be locally available will be the limited edition Australian Premiere Edition ($106,500), a 60-unit run that will come exclusively in an Alpine Blue metallic exterior and are fitted with Brembo bi-material brakes, active-valve sports exhausts, and one-piece Sabelt bucket seats in leather and microfibre. Additionally, each Premiere Edition will be equipped with 18-inch Fuchs forged wheels and a premium Focal audio system. Deliveries are expected to commence in Q4 of 2018.
Once the inaugural batch of cars have been rolled out, the core range of the A110 can be put into full effect, starting with the more driver-focused A110 Pure, expected in Q1 of 2019. This variant lacks some of the more extravagant toys in the options list in the name of weight savings and performance, but will still include features such as climate control, satellite navigation, and LED lights all-round, however notably lacks the upgraded Brembo brakes and sports exhausts.
Finally, the more expensive ‘bells and whistles’ A110 will come in the form of the Legende, which a slightly more luxurious A110 that’s adopted a role more akin to a Grand Tourer. As such, this variant will start at $103,500 - $6,500 more than the Pure.
For that sum, it gains six-way electronically adjustable seats, full leather upholstery and interior trim, carbon fibre inserts, front and rear parking sensors, a rear view camera, a Focal audio system, and distinctive two-tone 18-inch wheels that pay homage to an original A110 Berlinette 1600S design. If that doesn’t fit your fancy, two other wheel options are available.
Each A110 will be powered by a mid-mounted 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder. Essentially a detuned version of the motor powering the all-new Megane RS hot hatch, the Alpine outputs 185kW and 320Nm which is sent to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch. From launch, the car can dispatch 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds.
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