Alpine A110 owners

[Fudgie01]

Simon Owen said:

Fudgie01 said:

Will do! On the boot size, I’ve just done the weekly shop no problem, bag it the front, bag in the rear with beer & wine tucked either side, the space isn’t too bad just the small aperture that is a bit of a pain sometimes.
Ps. I’ve not really found the Alpine any worse on space than the 718, just a bit of planning ahead required

Ha I meant wheels & tyres when I referred to “boots” !!!

But yeah no issue with boot capacity here, we regularly tour in our ND mx5 ... A110 has more space so not an issue at all

Ha ha, yes small ‘boots’ in both terms are ok with me, went to Le Mans in my S1 Elise once, now that took at bit of packing planning for two of us...

[GVO]

I had the Life 110 geo done and it is quite subtle but noticeable nonetheless. Also just got and fitted the paddles this week - nice!

[bcr5784]

GVO said:

I had the Life 110 geo done and it is quite subtle but noticeable nonetheless. Also just got and fitted the paddles this week - nice!

Could you elaborate - I'm very tempted myself.

[domrusty]

It’s completely reversible so no harm in trying it out. I’m going to wait a while until I’ve got used to the standard suspension setup. But will definitely be getting the Life110 geo settings done at some point. Maybe at the first annual service...

[Sporky]

Dunno if anyone's interested, but here's how I did my CTEK connector. The cable in the box is awfully short, so I added one of these:

https://www.ctek.com/uk/products/car/indicator-pan...

And installed it by carefully Dremeling a hole in the washer fluid hatch (I figured if I stuffed it up that'd be cheaper to replace than any of the bigger plastic panels):



This is very convenient, though it's still a bit grumbly about starting so I'm off to Martins in Winchester in a couple of weeks for a new battery (hopefully) under warranty.

[jcuthell]

Sporky said:

Dunno if anyone's interested, but here's how I did my CTEK connector. The cable in the box is awfully short, so I added one of these:

https://www.ctek.com/uk/products/car/indicator-pan...

And installed it by carefully Dremeling a hole in the washer fluid hatch (I figured if I stuffed it up that'd be cheaper to replace than any of the bigger plastic panels):



This is very convenient, though it's still a bit grumbly about starting so I'm off to Martins in Winchester in a couple of weeks for a new battery (hopefully) under warranty.

Thanks for that. How big is the hole you need to drill.? Does the wire need a cable tie to tidy up?

[domrusty]

Sporky said:

And installed it by carefully Dremeling a hole in the washer fluid hatch (I figured if I stuffed it up that'd be cheaper to replace than any of the bigger plastic panels):

Good thinking Nice job!

[SRT Hellcat]

well I have read through all 42 pages of this thread and found it most refreshing with no bickering that you often find on some threads in PH.
I was out shopping with the missus on Saturday. Parked up waiting for her to come back with her costa coffee and a guy in an Alpine parked right in front of me. He got out and as he walked by I asked. May I enquire if they are as good as people say they are ?.
His words. I have owned over a dozen Porsche's, a number of Ferrari's and three McLarens. It drives better than all of them. Get the Pure with big brakes. I had no interest in one until a friend persuaded me to drive his car. It was a revelation. If it were not for Covid I would gladly let you have a drive of mine.
What a very nice gent. It has got me thinking though

[Sporky]

jcuthell said:

Thanks for that. How big is the hole you need to drill.? Does the wire need a cable tie to tidy up?

From memory it's a rectangle 21mm wide by 42mm (more certain on the former than the latter). I measured with digital verniers, stuck masking tape onto the cover and drew the rectangle on there, cut with a Dremel abrasive disc (I've got a little circular saw blade but couldn't find it) slowly and carefully.

I did the initial cut a little on the small side and then enlarged it with a file and knife - the washer cover panel is pretty soft plastic. There's not a huge amount of wiggle room on the positioning but enough that you don't have to be super-precise.

And yes, I did a zip tie on the excess cable, I think there are three loops. That looks enough to keep the cable from dangling anywhere it shouldn't, but leaves enough slack to take the cover off easily. Now I just need the 2.5m extension cable so that I can wall-mount the charger and still plug it into the car. For the moment I don't mind putting the charger where you can see it in the photo.

[jcuthell]

Sporky said:

From memory it's a rectangle 21mm wide by 42mm (more certain on the former than the latter). I measured with digital verniers, stuck masking tape onto the cover and drew the rectangle on there, cut with a Dremel abrasive disc (I've got a little circular saw blade but couldn't find it) slowly and carefully.

I did the initial cut a little on the small side and then enlarged it with a file and knife - the washer cover panel is pretty soft plastic. There's not a huge amount of wiggle room on the positioning but enough that you don't have to be super-precise.

And yes, I did a zip tie on the excess cable, I think there are three loops. That looks enough to keep the cable from dangling anywhere it shouldn't, but leaves enough slack to take the cover off easily. Now I just need the 2.5m extension cable so that I can wall-mount the charger and still plug it into the car. For the moment I don't mind putting the charger where you can see it in the photo.

That's really helpful thanks very much

[domrusty]

SRT Hellcat said:

well I have read through all 42 pages of this thread and found it most refreshing with no bickering that you often find on some threads in PH.
I was out shopping with the missus on Saturday. Parked up waiting for her to come back with her costa coffee and a guy in an Alpine parked right in front of me. He got out and as he walked by I asked. May I enquire if they are as good as people say they are ?.
His words. I have owned over a dozen Porsche's, a number of Ferrari's and three McLarens. It drives better than all of them. Get the Pure with big brakes. I had no interest in one until a friend persuaded me to drive his car. It was a revelation. If it were not for Covid I would gladly let you have a drive of mine.
What a very nice gent. It has got me thinking though

It’s definitely worth a test-drive. I was absolutely bowled over by the sharp handling and generally nimble feel of the A110. But also the comfort and refinement, even coming from a Jag XK...

[K800 RUM]

SRT Hellcat said:

well I have read through all 42 pages of this thread and found it most refreshing with no bickering that you often find on some threads in PH.
I was out shopping with the missus on Saturday. Parked up waiting for her to come back with her costa coffee and a guy in an Alpine parked right in front of me. He got out and as he walked by I asked. May I enquire if they are as good as people say they are ?.
His words. I have owned over a dozen Porsche's, a number of Ferrari's and three McLarens. It drives better than all of them. Get the Pure with big brakes. I had no interest in one until a friend persuaded me to drive his car. It was a revelation. If it were not for Covid I would gladly let you have a drive of mine.
What a very nice gent. It has got me thinking though

I have also enjoyed this thread a lot & regularly have a look to see what has been added. I am still an aspiring A110 owner (but currently caterham owner).
My wife is now saying "when" we get one as apposed to "if"
Just need my job to settle down as there are problems at the moment.

Can I make request for more pictures of your cars from A110 owners please. Always nice to see.

[bcr5784]

K800 RUM said:

Can I make request for more pictures of your cars from A110 owners please. Always nice to see.

First let me say as an owner I am one of the biggest fans of the A110 (if you didn't already know) , but I find your request a bit curious. Is there something you want to glean from pictures that somehow the thousands of existing ones on line (or the configurator) don't capture? If so what is it? If I have (or can take) a picture or video or sound recording that helps I am more than happy to give it a go.

Edited by bcr5784 on Thursday 25th February 19:23

Edited by bcr5784 on Thursday 25th February 19:29

[K800 RUM]

Just like seeing them. I've done the various road tests to death on youtube. But if owners don't want to share pics I won't be offended.

An owner from Sweden (sorry forgotten your name) posted some great pics recently. One in particular in a forest in the snow I saved as a screen saver.

Edited by K800 RUM on Thursday 25th February 19:36

[Didzz]

bcr5784 said:

First let me say as an owner I am one of the biggest fans of the A110 (if you didn't already know) , but I find your request a bit curious. Is there something you want to glean from pictures that somehow the thousands of existing ones on line (or the configurator) don't capture? If so what is it? If I have (or can take) a picture or video or sound recording that helps I am more than happy to give it a go.

Interested to know what was the trigger that made you go for an A110, a PE btw, which means you were one of the first
UK customers, as the car/brand were almost unknown. Just curious.

Edited by Didzz on Friday 26th February 05:28

Edited by Didzz on Friday 26th February 05:45

[Miserablegit]

I can’t speak for bcr but I’ve been an Alpine fan for many years - had a few tamiya R/c a110 as a boy.

Knowing Alpine had never sold well in the U.K. I jumped to put a deposit down when the new one was announced - they had always performed well and I liked the look of the new A110 and the lightweight/fun ethos.

I’ve always been drawn to lotus but didn’t really get on with the Europa S I sat in many years ago - still a bit of a faff to get in/out. I should have gone for a test drive.

I was tempted by an Alfa 4c but I felt the cockpit let it down - and that’s where I have spent quite a lot of time- would like to have a 4c as well at some point .

I had no idea how the A110 would drive, however. I viewed it as a limited opportunity that I’d regret if I didn’t take the leap now- I didn’t expect them to be on sale for long in the U.K. I’m pleasantly surprised to see they are still on sale despite low numbers.

The various delays and poor information from Alpine had me considering dropping out along the way but I’m glad I stuck with it.
At one point Alpine wanted the order confirming before a test drive and I dug my heels in saying I have never bought a car without test driving it first. I recall receiving an amount of grief on PH from certain quarters for doing that - as though I should put my faith in other people’s opinions...

I had the test drive and the rest is history - I’ll have had it for three years in August and I’ve put 19,000 miles on it - I’ve used it at every opportunity - even just going to the shops. I’ve toyed with the idea of trading in for a new one but I’m happy with the PE I have and I think I’ll keep it - just maintain it well.

[bcr5784]

Didzz said:

Interested to know what was the trigger that made you go for an A110, a PE btw, which means you were one of the first
UK customers, as the car/brand were almost unknown. Just curious.

Edited by Didzz on Friday 26th February 05:28

Edited by Didzz on Friday 26th February 05:45

In the first instance (before anyone had driven the car) the lightweight ethos of the car appealed greatly. I therefore put down a deposit, knowing that if the car turned out a dud I would get it all back.

Initial roadtests were extremely positive - more positive than for any new sports car I can remember in recent times. However I insisted (despite pressure from the dealer) on driving the car before commiting to buy. And I was blown away - it seemed to me everything the roadtests had said - and, most importantly much more fun at sensible speeds than the 981S Cayman I had at the time.

Unlike the Cayman, which had never quite lived up my impressions when I tested it, the A110 continues to delight me every time I drive it. Nothing has since come on the market which I would replace it with (I've driven a GR Yaris). Perhaps one of the next generation Loti might be better, but it would have to be very very good.

Like miserablegit the car is a do-practically-everything car for me, shops, European trips, even the tip on occasion.

Edited by bcr5784 on Friday 26th February 08:33

Edited by bcr5784 on Friday 26th February 08:37

[Sporky]

Miserablegit said:

I can’t speak for bcr but I’ve been an Alpine fan for many years - had a few tamiya R/c a110 as a boy.

Likewise on just being a fan of the original Alpine A110. I think I first saw one on an album cover (Out Loud by Boom Boom Satellites - lovely bit of glitchy Japanese big-beat/industrial/jazz mashup), and wanted one of the Tamiyas. When the new one was properly revealed (I didn't like the Renault badged concept much) I wanted one then and there, but didn't have the cash at the time to book a PE.

Once I had the funds I did try a couple of other options - the Evora GT400 being the main competitor - but the Alpine just felt a bit more complete and rounded, so I ordered a Pure for the smaller wheels, but in the brief window when you could have heated comfort seats in a Pure. Alpine WInchester have a used Pure with heated seats listed for sale at the mo, so they're not quite as rare as I'd thought.

Miserablegit said:

I’ve always been drawn to lotus but didn’t really get on with the Europa S I sat in many years ago - still a bit of a faff to get in/out. I should have gone for a test drive.

You should - no argument about the getting in and out, but absolutely wonderful to drive. The A110 is very much like that, but a bit more civilised (and that's not to detract from either!). The Evora GT400 is very much like the Alpine to drive and to be in. And to get in and out of - it's got normal-car sills. What sold the A110 for me was that while it lacked that final bit of steering wiggliness, it was much better equipped (everything you'd expect of a modern supermini was included), much less thirsty, and my inner snob preferred an aluminium body to a GRP one. Oh, and for the same money as a 2-3 year old Evora I could have a brand-spanky A110.

[springfan62]

Didzz said:

Interested to know what was the trigger that made you go for an A110, a PE btw, which means you were one of the first
UK customers, as the car/brand were almost unknown. Just curious.

Edited by Didzz on Friday 26th February 05:28

Edited by Didzz on Friday 26th February 05:45

I bought a PE from new, I wasn't one of the very early people to book one, I put my name down when the car was released and there was a rash of great reviews, I then managed to jump up the queue a pick up a cancelled order.
I was never a fan of Alpine before but the A110 was everything i was looking for something lightweight, efficient, comfortable and fun to drive and above all big enough for someone 6' 6'".
The latter ruled most of the competition except perhaps an Evora and Cayman.

Mine's not a daily I save it for the right journeys, mainly into mid wales where it really comes into its own, such a smile inducing joy to drive.

Here is a link to some photos if anyone is interested. https://flic.kr/s/aHsmsAS3md

[s111dpc]

Didzz said:

Interested to know what was the trigger that made you go for an A110, a PE btw, which means you were one of the first
UK customers, as the car/brand were almost unknown. Just curious.

Edited by Didzz on Friday 26th February 05:28

Edited by Didzz on Friday 26th February 05:45

For me it was a few factors. I have owned a couple of Elise’s and an Exige and was looking for another sports car. I remember being at the Festival of Speed in 2012 when the Alpine A110-50 concept was premiered and I fell in love! So when searching for the new car I starting reading the A110 reviews, started this thread for other owners views and decided to take a test drive.

The test drive sold it for me, it was like driving a Lotus (Elise / Exige) but with the added benefit of modern engineering and up to date creature comforts (infotainment notwithstanding!) and very useable everyday whilst retaining that ‘special’ feeling every time you drive it.

Test drive one if you can, you’ll be smitten