So I had a test drive in one
Discussion
Terminator X said:
Lol EV can't arrive soon enough for you it seems, 600hp and 2.5t for the win.
TX.
Not interested in an EV or an SUV but not interested in the Alpine either. It may seem lightweight to you but it weighs about the same as my 80s 911 which I prefer in every respect. I could not imagine choosing to drive the Alpine over the 911 in any circumstances.TX.
A shame as I had decided it would be a good last petrol engines car but I found it underwhelming.
Martin315 said:
Not interested in an EV or an SUV but not interested in the Alpine either. It may seem lightweight to you but it weighs about the same as my 80s 911 which I prefer in every respect. I could not imagine choosing to drive the Alpine over the 911 in any circumstances.
A shame as I had decided it would be a good last petrol engines car but I found it underwhelming.
I owned a low mileage 1972 911 2.4S before I bought my Alpine, the only thing I really miss is the engine sound. In every other respect the Alpine is a so much more useable and driveable machine.A shame as I had decided it would be a good last petrol engines car but I found it underwhelming.
The really clever bit about the A110 is how well it does the dull stuff but at the same time comes alive on an interesting road, our last road trip was 1,800m around Northern Spain. Getting to the port from south Mcr is as dull as you could imagine, thus 'normal' mode engaged, full auto all the way with cruise when it was possible, two up, music on, relaxed, super comfortable, quiet and refined.
Within one hr of leaving the ferry we were in full attack mode chasing a 600LT, GT4 and GT3RS over a pass riddled with hair pins, I'm no driving god but we were really leaning on the car and with a few subtle Life110 mods I was in awe at the cars balance, poise and ability and grinning like a Cheshire Cat !! Once off the ferry 95%+ of the driving was in full manual mode, switching between sport and track depending on my mood. I wouldn't say it's quite as engaging as a well set up Elise/Exige but it's way more exciting and capable than I ever imagined from the three extended test drives I did, possibly more friendly as you approach the limits of grip
?
I know it can be done (we did extensive very long tours in 16y of 7 ownership) in more extreme cars but jumping off the ferry, knackered after what felt at times like a 7 day track day it was a joy to switch everything off and cruise home in comfort.
Adaptability is necessarily a requirement of all I know but it is a very clever trick the A110 has up its sleeve !!
Within one hr of leaving the ferry we were in full attack mode chasing a 600LT, GT4 and GT3RS over a pass riddled with hair pins, I'm no driving god but we were really leaning on the car and with a few subtle Life110 mods I was in awe at the cars balance, poise and ability and grinning like a Cheshire Cat !! Once off the ferry 95%+ of the driving was in full manual mode, switching between sport and track depending on my mood. I wouldn't say it's quite as engaging as a well set up Elise/Exige but it's way more exciting and capable than I ever imagined from the three extended test drives I did, possibly more friendly as you approach the limits of grip
?I know it can be done (we did extensive very long tours in 16y of 7 ownership) in more extreme cars but jumping off the ferry, knackered after what felt at times like a 7 day track day it was a joy to switch everything off and cruise home in comfort.
Adaptability is necessarily a requirement of all I know but it is a very clever trick the A110 has up its sleeve !!
Edited by Simon Owen on Tuesday 26th September 16:38
johnnyreggae said:
springfan62 said:
I owned a low mileage 1972 911 2.4S before I bought my Alpine, the only thing I really miss is the engine sound. In every other respect the Alpine is a so much more useable and driveable machine.
High mileage 81 SC but echo same commentsYeah I get the Porsche 911 comparison! I also have a 3.2 Carrera, mine has the older 915 gearbox but it's a blast, a great car. I would definitely prefer to tour Europe in it than the Elise! @OP - have you considered an old 911 - not a bad shout!
The little Alpine is, however, the only car that statistically can challenge the Porsche... it trades air cooled rawness for air conditioning and cruise control but it's still super unique. It's in a class of literally one. Just like the Lotus Elise was. Even if you think the Alpine loses the battle and choose the Porsche (and from a money point of view you'd be stupid not to really - the old 911 is almost certainly a much, much better place for your £) you have to hand kudos to Alpine for being the only other one showing up to the fight!
Forgive me being a massive fan-boy. I literally paid for my Alpine today so need my choice reinforcement to swap for my empty bank
The little Alpine is, however, the only car that statistically can challenge the Porsche... it trades air cooled rawness for air conditioning and cruise control but it's still super unique. It's in a class of literally one. Just like the Lotus Elise was. Even if you think the Alpine loses the battle and choose the Porsche (and from a money point of view you'd be stupid not to really - the old 911 is almost certainly a much, much better place for your £) you have to hand kudos to Alpine for being the only other one showing up to the fight!
Forgive me being a massive fan-boy. I literally paid for my Alpine today so need my choice reinforcement to swap for my empty bank
Yep 911 certainly on the radar as perhaps looking through optimistic specs at Exige in terms of getting in and out even if used as a 2nd vehicle primarily for road trips. Somebody made a very good point anice about you have to do the boring bits too. I am considerably older than my S1 Elise days so perhaps an air of realism does need to be considered more rather than my rose tinted memories!
I know very different but in the similar price point to an 2 nd hand Alpine manual gen2 997 no IMS or bore issues I understand compared to gen 1 997
I know very different but in the similar price point to an 2 nd hand Alpine manual gen2 997 no IMS or bore issues I understand compared to gen 1 997
like many on here i have had many, many 911's over the year: 964 c2 and rs, 993 c2s, 996 turbo and turbo S, 991.2 GTS, 992 GTS etc etc etc
In all honesty and for UK roads I stopped enjoying them past the 993. Too stiff, too much rolling noise, too wide (the latest iterations).
I can't help myself but reminisce of my last 993 c2s every single time i drive the A 110 GT. It is even the same color (dark blue) as the pork was. It has a similar fluidity to it. The foot print also feels remarkably similar.
I would *not* have a Cayman, or another 992, i think they just don't work anywhere near as well on UK roads.
The major difference being the gearbox of course. I really don't mind it. In fact i use it more because of it because it is also great at doing the mundane stuff and run around at low speed.
Totally get the comparison with the older cars.
In all honesty and for UK roads I stopped enjoying them past the 993. Too stiff, too much rolling noise, too wide (the latest iterations).
I can't help myself but reminisce of my last 993 c2s every single time i drive the A 110 GT. It is even the same color (dark blue) as the pork was. It has a similar fluidity to it. The foot print also feels remarkably similar.
I would *not* have a Cayman, or another 992, i think they just don't work anywhere near as well on UK roads.
The major difference being the gearbox of course. I really don't mind it. In fact i use it more because of it because it is also great at doing the mundane stuff and run around at low speed.
Totally get the comparison with the older cars.
Edited by erics on Wednesday 27th September 16:07
Gary C said:
Trouble is, my 3.2 has no aircon, the steering needs both arms in ape mode to turn at parking speeds and I don't want to put hundreds of Mway miles on a 30K mile car.
.
A 25, 30 or more year old car is really not an every day car. It may well be as (/more) enjoyable to drive than new alternatives some of the time- but it's a very different ownership proposition. It's going to require more TLC, will have the sort of "issues" Gary alludes to - and may not provide the creature comforts (you or) your OH may now feel are essential. In short it's not a "real" alternative to an A110, Cayman, Emira, new 911 - it's a 3rd or 4th car in your garage - whereas the others are potentially a second..
So far I've mostly just read, I bought a MIATA ND2 2.0 in 2019 to have a driver's car. I have really enjoyed this car. I added coilovers, front and rear strut braces, underbody braces, proper alignment, etc.
It was the perfect car for back roads, the perfect car to learn to drive fast and safely, but also not a car for easy driving as it became too stiff to be comfortable. My wife didn't want to be a passenger anymore.
Now I ordered a basic A110, hoping to get both: a car I could drive early Sunday morning, and a car I could take my wife on a road trip together. I chose the base car because I want the compliant ride,but not the GT because I want the bucket seats.
I discovered the A110 through a marketing campaign by Alpine in 2022. I drove one and the seed had sprouted.
I'm looking forward to this last opportunity to buy - delivery is scheduled for the end of November. Life110 paddles and Atelier Mechanique pouches and phone holder are waiting to be installed. I'm from Germany, that's why I ordered the accessories from France. Besides Life110 alignment the car will remain stock.
regards
It was the perfect car for back roads, the perfect car to learn to drive fast and safely, but also not a car for easy driving as it became too stiff to be comfortable. My wife didn't want to be a passenger anymore.
Now I ordered a basic A110, hoping to get both: a car I could drive early Sunday morning, and a car I could take my wife on a road trip together. I chose the base car because I want the compliant ride,but not the GT because I want the bucket seats.
I discovered the A110 through a marketing campaign by Alpine in 2022. I drove one and the seed had sprouted.
I'm looking forward to this last opportunity to buy - delivery is scheduled for the end of November. Life110 paddles and Atelier Mechanique pouches and phone holder are waiting to be installed. I'm from Germany, that's why I ordered the accessories from France. Besides Life110 alignment the car will remain stock.
regards
Nice discussion. I can fully relate to the main takeaways:
1) If you're fully into an Elise/Exige, the A110 is not an alternative option. Yes, the cars share some similar traits but way different in the areas that really matter.
2) Yes, you can easily pack for 2 persons for long road trips e.g. 3 weeks. And being forced to be economical and precise with packing means it's a whole easier checking in and out! As opposed to doubting what you need and throwing in the extra stuff anyway (and weight) on things you mostly didn't use, if at all.
3) Indeed, this is the one car my OH loves to drive from the Get Go; which was never the case with previous sports cars. I find most women find the A110 "cute" and the fact that it is so easy to drive and non-threatening no doubt adds to it's appeal.
4) I also consider the A110 as being a spiritual successor to the older 911 G models. If Porsche had kept closer to the original 911 design brief, today's 911 might not look and drive so differently than the A110. In fact, it was the 2020 Legende GT in Mercure Silver which really caught my attention on the relaunched marque. The gold tinted lettering reading ALPINE on the rear of these first limited editions immediately reminded me of the early 70s 911's with similar gold lettering of PORSCHE. And what a small and purposeful car I thought - designed to be driven! Just like the old 911's...
M.
1) If you're fully into an Elise/Exige, the A110 is not an alternative option. Yes, the cars share some similar traits but way different in the areas that really matter.
2) Yes, you can easily pack for 2 persons for long road trips e.g. 3 weeks. And being forced to be economical and precise with packing means it's a whole easier checking in and out! As opposed to doubting what you need and throwing in the extra stuff anyway (and weight) on things you mostly didn't use, if at all.
3) Indeed, this is the one car my OH loves to drive from the Get Go; which was never the case with previous sports cars. I find most women find the A110 "cute" and the fact that it is so easy to drive and non-threatening no doubt adds to it's appeal.
4) I also consider the A110 as being a spiritual successor to the older 911 G models. If Porsche had kept closer to the original 911 design brief, today's 911 might not look and drive so differently than the A110. In fact, it was the 2020 Legende GT in Mercure Silver which really caught my attention on the relaunched marque. The gold tinted lettering reading ALPINE on the rear of these first limited editions immediately reminded me of the early 70s 911's with similar gold lettering of PORSCHE. And what a small and purposeful car I thought - designed to be driven! Just like the old 911's...
M.
Meonstoke said:
3) Indeed, this is the one car my OH loves to drive from the Get Go; which was never the case with previous sports cars. I find most women find the A110 "cute" and the fact that it is so easy to drive and non-threatening no doubt adds to it's appeal.
I too have noticed that women find it attractive - and some men (a small minority) are very anti the looks. Is that because some men expect a sports car to be more "butch"? I recall the MX5 being regarded by some as a "hairdresser's car" - perhaps for similar reasons/prejudices.A good thread - all the main attributes and downsides listed.
I find it a perfect partner to my 'dry-weather/smooth road' sports cars, sharing their feel of alert adjustability, a manual 997 GT3 and modified TVR T350.
Barring a lightweight 6-cyl engine for tuneful sound I wouldn't change anything beyond the Life110 mods & power increase it already has.
Engaging yet more supple across Welsh B-roads (avoiding A-road traffic to tourist spots!) with driver-aids useful on wet roundabouts & muddy roads, comfy for passenger, fine daily fun through the winter while the others have to be preserved, and even rather good on a trackday causing a few surprises. Lucky it's a bright colour.
I find it a perfect partner to my 'dry-weather/smooth road' sports cars, sharing their feel of alert adjustability, a manual 997 GT3 and modified TVR T350.
Barring a lightweight 6-cyl engine for tuneful sound I wouldn't change anything beyond the Life110 mods & power increase it already has.
Engaging yet more supple across Welsh B-roads (avoiding A-road traffic to tourist spots!) with driver-aids useful on wet roundabouts & muddy roads, comfy for passenger, fine daily fun through the winter while the others have to be preserved, and even rather good on a trackday causing a few surprises. Lucky it's a bright colour.
Edited by tail slide on Wednesday 1st November 13:31
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