Tuesday 28th February 2017

New Alpine A110 latest

Who'd have guessed - Alpine revives iconic A110 name and reveals undisguised images in latest pre-Geneva tease

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When the dust settles after Geneva we'll tot up and see which manufacturer subjected us to the most protracted teaser campaign ahead of this year's show. Alpine and McLaren are currently front-runners and, much as we're loath to play the game, you'll be reading about this car today so it may as well be on PH, right?

So now we have the not all together surprising news Alpine will revive the A110 name for its all-new car, this iconic badge associated with the dinky 1969 Berlinette that has, to put it tactfully, clearly inspired the new car's styling. Previous teasers revealed the aluminium construction for both platform and bodywork, the aero and the, um, seats. Now at least we know what it looks like without the camouflage, though in all honesty the recent efforts in hiding the shape and proportions weren't the most strenuous.

No surprises in the name, the final design or the colour chosen to reveal the car in other words. Thankfully the original Berlinette's focus on performance through lack of weight is promised to carry through to the new car too, that car combining an off the shelf Renault powertrain with that compact, low-slung and minimalist body to great effect. We're still left waiting on any hard facts on what will power the Alpine or any numbers beyond that orgininal boast of a sub-4.5 seconds 0-62mph but we're working on the assumption it'll be an off the shelf transverse four-cylinder turbo with a dual-clutch transmission, much like the Alfa Romeo 4C's 240hp 1.7-litre unit. The 1.6-litre motor from the 220hp Clio Renaultsport Trophy would, if the weight is in the same 1,000kg ballpark, seem an obvious starting point. Especially so given the original A110 was also a 1.6. But we'll know on Geneva press day.

If that means the dripfeed of info becomes a proper torrent then it can't come soon enough!

[Poopipe]

Stupid wheels aside I rather like that..

[BigChiefmuffinAgain]

Not sure they've got this right. Original Alpine was ( and still is ) a lovely looking little thing, though probably not actually remembered by that many. Doing this modern re-interpretation doesn't really look that good, admittedly from only a couple of pictures. A bit like the Fiat version of the MX5 which tries to hard to reference the old convertible.

They should have taken the chance offered to launch a whole new design rather than slavishly try to re-imagine a past long forgotten by most buyers and which is largely irrelevant.

[Yipper]

Good God, it looks hideous. Proportions all wrong.

[PunterCam]

Yipper said:

Good God, it looks hideous. Proportions all wrong.

Just like the original - it looks fabulous.

[Hitch]

Agree. It looks great. Just need a tin of yellow stain for lights and I'm off! Not too sure on the powertrain though.

[tosh.brice]

It's a bit pointless to have a link to a story on the old car for comparison of looks when the pix no longer show on the old news article!

[Vizzle]

So is this mid engined sports car like the original or will this be competing with the Pug RCZ? Visually it is striking and a great homage to the original but IMO this will fail if it is really a FF hot hatch pretending to be a sports car.

[Krikkit]

Really, really like that - with some Speedline 2118's or something it'd be absolutely

[Vee12V]

Vizzle said:

So is this mid engined sports car like the original or will this be competing with the Pug RCZ? Visually it is striking and a great homage to the original but IMO this will fail if it is really a FF hot hatch pretending to be a sports car.

It's mid engined, rwd.

[skidskid]

It'll get ruined with a crappy paddle gearbox.

[vz-r_dave]

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

Not sure they've got this right. Original Alpine was ( and still is ) a lovely looking little thing, though probably not actually remembered by that many. Doing this modern re-interpretation doesn't really look that good, admittedly from only a couple of pictures. A bit like the Fiat version of the MX5 which tries to hard to reference the old convertible.

They should have taken the chance offered to launch a whole new design rather than slavishly try to re-imagine a past long forgotten by most buyers and which is largely irrelevant.

Not remembered by that many where exactly? Take your UK market bubble off and think a bit broader as to Alpines history and origins.

[TurboHatchback]

Looks great (for a new car). The wheels are too big as always and I'm not 100% convinced by the front lights but I imagine this will be excellent to drive. Of course nobody will buy it as it has the wrong badge but I'd love to be proved wrong.

[MustardCutter]

TurboHatchback said:

Of course nobody will buy it as it has the wrong badge but I'd love to be proved wrong.

My sentiments exactly; they're asking Porsche Cayman money for a french car that's raided the Clio parts bin. Hopefully it's excellent and people who can afford one can see through that sort of mindset.

[J B L]

Having seen pictures of the interior, I think "raiding the Clio parts bin" is a bit harsh.





As for engine and transmission, yes, some economies of scale are being made. I'm sure I have read somewhere that the latest versions of Renault's auto transmission were much improved. Hopeing for further improvements here again !

[Quickmoose]

Thumbs up from me. , see.
Plenty of room for individual improvements to go deeper into the rally look...extra spot lights, yellow tint, mudflaps, stripes, numbers.
I like it, and hope the interior is as nice as the concept too.
Cayman, 4C, TTRS, and A110.... some great cars to choose from in that sector now.
Renault have proven their worth in fettling track friendly hatches....fingers crossed they repeat the efforts with this.

[jamespink]

J B L said:

Having seen pictures of the interior, I think "raiding the Clio parts bin" is a bit harsh.





As for engine and transmission, yes, some economies of scale are being made. I'm sure I have read somewhere that the latest versions of Renault's auto transmission were much improved. Hopeing for further improvements here again !

That looks a fun place to be! (the top one)...

[GranCab]

skidskid said:

It'll get ruined with a crappy paddle gearbox.

Why ?

[Quickmoose]

GranCab said:

skidskid said:

It'll get ruined with a crappy paddle gearbox.

Why ?

I suspect it's more accurate to suggest "it's ruined by not offering the choice of paddle-shift or full manual"....

[V8A*ndy]

J B L said:

Having seen pictures of the interior, I think "raiding the Clio parts bin" is a bit harsh.

I'm kind of worried how well finished the car will be.

The above interior shot certainly gives an impression of a very elegant yet purposeful interior, yet the exterior pics make the car look a tad cheap.

Perhaps it's just the silly wheels.

Really hoping this turns out to be great!

[TurboHatchback]

V8A*ndy said:

J B L said:

Having seen pictures of the interior, I think "raiding the Clio parts bin" is a bit harsh.

I'm kind of worried how well finished the car will be.

The above interior shot certainly gives an impression of a very elegant yet purposeful interior, yet the exterior pics make the car look a tad cheap.

Perhaps it's just the silly wheels.

Really hoping this turns out to be great!

Now I thought exactly the opposite, that interior pic looks rather plasticky to me with a strong whiff of training shoe about it but I think the exterior looks great. Horses for courses and all that, I'll reserve proper judgement of the interior until some better photos are available.

ETA: I agree about the wheels though.