Alpine Premiere Edition open for orders

Want one of the first new Alpines? Put your money where your mouth is now (but expect a wait)

On one hand we're gutted the concentration of effort into the rebirth of Alpine has apparently cost us the chance of a production version of the Clio R.S.16. On the other the pending arrival of a new and (relatively) affordable mid-engined sports car with the emphasis on weight saving and driver feedback more than spec sheet willy waving has to be a good thing.

Watch and wait...

And if you want one Alpine is now taking orders, the website announcing a limited run of 1,955 Premiere Edition cars offered in a choice of three colours (Bleu Alpine, Blanc Solaire and Noir Profond) and priced 'between 55,000 and 60,000 euros' in France including local taxes. In case you hadn't guessed that production number refers to the year of Alpine's founding. Lay down your initial 2,000 euros via the dedicated app and you can even specify your build number, this being included on a plaque mounted to the dash to prove your credentials as an early adopter and true fan.

There's also confirmation of a 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds and first deliveries at the end of 2017 in Europe and early 2018 for the UK and Japan, suggesting right-hand drive production won't start until later in the cycle. We're promised a full tech spec in early 2017, the current assumption being it'll be powered by a version of the Clio Renaultsport's 1.6-litre turbo engine with over 200hp, some reports suggesting 250hp or so with a capacity bump to 1.8 litres.

Looking at French pricing for competitor products a 718 Cayman starts at 53,960 euros while the S is 66,710 euros; the former does 0-62 in 4.7 seconds with PDK and Sport Chrono, by which point it's a 59,040 euros car. If, as feared, the Alpine is a dual-clutch only it's clear the PDK 718 Cayman has been pretty thoroughly benchmarked against it. In lightweight spirit, looks and the heritage leanings you'd have to consider the Alfa Romeo 4C another very obvious rival; in France this starts at 62,300 euros, again underlining where the Alpine is being pitched. At a more mainstream level a TT S would cost you 56,490 euros in France. Pricing will obviously be different for the UK but there's some context there at least.

We're expecting to see the production car early next year; for now we've got a moody teaser vid of disguised prototypes doing arty slides amid smoke and spray on a test track. More info when we have it.

Watch the video here.