Alpine A110S

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Discussion

Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Saturday 2nd September 2023
quotequote all
As I collected the car yesterday decided to start a new thread on it as this is hopefully going to be a long-term keeper.

Impulse purchase and has replaced a much loved 650 convertible a low mileage daily driver.

Had just come into stock at Alpine Solihull when I was there to test drive a 3 year old A110S, saw this, crunched some numbers and bought.

Only real must have for me was the standard Sabelt bucket seats and not Alpine Blue, gorgeous colour but my Tuscan is Viper Blue and very similar.

Decent amount of extra equipment on it, premium Focal audio, mirror pack, orange seatbelts, storage pack (obscenely expensive), black inlay on headlights, front parking sensors and rear view camera and Alpine mats.

Very easy purchase process and collection yesterday was pretty painless.

Went straight down to Salon Prive after collecting then home through the Cotswolds via a stop at the Alpine facility in Enstone for a photo.

Few things to be added to it, the Life110 paddle shifters, carbon exhaust finisher and the Life110 springs, titanium track rod ends and geometry being done later this month.

First impressions are that it will be a lot of fun and will complement the Tuscan and Vantage pretty well.





Edited by Andy665 on Saturday 2nd September 14:48

ajap1979

8,014 posts

188 months

Saturday 2nd September 2023
quotequote all
Andy665 said:
As I collected the car yesterday decided to start a new thread on it as this is hopefully going to be a long-term keeper.

Impulse purchase and has replaced a much loved 560 convertible a low mileage daily driver.

Had just come into stock at Alpine Solihull when I was there to test drive a 3 year old A110S, saw this, crunched some numbers and bought.

Only real must have for me was the standard Sabelt bucket seats and not Alpine Blue, gorgeous colour but my Tuscan is Viper Blue and very similar.

Decent amount of extra equipment on it, premium Focal audio, mirror pack, orange seatbelts, storage pack (obscenely expensive), black inlay on headlights, front parking sensors and rear view camera and Alpine mats.

Very easy purchase process and collection yesterday was pretty painless.

Went straight down to Salon Prive after collecting then home through the Cotswolds via a stop at the Alpine facility in Enstone for a photo.

Few things to be added to it, the Life110 paddle shifters, carbon exhaust finisher and the Life110 springs, titanium track rod ends and geometry being done later this month.

First impressions are that it will be a lot of fun and will complement the Tuscan and Vantage pretty well.



Pardon my ignorance, but what’s a 560?

Wotzname

164 posts

195 months

Saturday 2nd September 2023
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ajap1979 said:
Pardon my ignorance, but what’s a 560?
Looking through OP's garage, it would suggest the BMW E64 650i Sport. Assume OP still excited after purchase, and getting fingers in a twist wink

PS. Nice car by the way OP

Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Saturday 2nd September 2023
quotequote all
Wotzname said:
Looking through OP's garage, it would suggest the BMW E64 650i Sport. Assume OP still excited after purchase, and getting fingers in a twist wink

PS. Nice car by the way OP
Thank you and totally correct

Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Tuesday 5th September 2023
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Good check over of the car on Saturday and pretty impressed with the prep, just a couple of tiny spots of transport wax but other than that was pretty much perfect, even tyre pressures were correct - a first on a new car for me

As its a long term keeper, Saturday and Sunday saw me ceramic coating the hubs, calipers, wheels, wheel arch liners and paint then moving on to the interior with protection of alcantara, plastics and leather.



Changed over the standard paddle shifters for Life110 items and they are much more tactile and usable



Was surprised to see how good the access to the engine is once you remove the three knurled knobs in the boot and release the multiple quick release fasteners on the engine cover itself



Also trial fitted the Bagworld luggage set I had made






Konrod

875 posts

229 months

Tuesday 5th September 2023
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Nice car OP, and glad to see it being looked after already.

Fitted luggage is a must - did two weeks in Scotland with a mate and his wife who had a Ferrari 360 - they had fitted luggage and I was surprised they had enough space for two weeks (although hjis wife is admittedly not high maintenance). Was a bit nose heavy though on some of the rough roads.

One thought, looking at the luggage shape and frunk shape, shouldn't the bags go in "spine to spine"? Might leave room for another couple of fag papers..... smilesmile

THP150

329 posts

152 months

Wednesday 6th September 2023
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Very nice and great looking luggage as well.

Just starting the process of getting a couple of soft cases and a weekend holdall from Bagworld for my Alpine but, with Blue stitching to match the colour of the car and seats.

Colin was really helpful.

Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Wednesday 6th September 2023
quotequote all
THP150 said:
Very nice and great looking luggage as well.

Just starting the process of getting a couple of soft cases and a weekend holdall from Bagworld for my Alpine but, with Blue stitching to match the colour of the car and seats.

Colin was really helpful.
Colin really is great to deal with, just waiting on a few items for my Tuscan now and then probably order a set for the Vantage as well, their luggage is a nice finishing touch to a car

RC1807

12,544 posts

169 months

Friday 8th September 2023
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LOVE the custom luggage. I've still only seen a handful of Alpines on the road.

This interesting Alpine popped up on my FB feed recently, CF parts galore, wheels included, for a mere EUR 114k.....
https://www.mycar.lu/fr/alpine-a110-essence_id7481...

Olivera

7,154 posts

240 months

Friday 8th September 2023
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Lovely! I think the S it the A110 model I would go for, it also sits lower and avoids the 'on stilts' look of the standard car.

Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Friday 8th September 2023
quotequote all
Olivera said:
Lovely! I think the S it the A110 model I would go for, it also sits lower and avoids the 'on stilts' look of the standard car.
The S only sits 2mm lower than the base car. Milne will be sitting 11mm than in the pics come next Thursday after its had its Life110 springs fitted, these are actually 5% softer than the standard S springs

greenarrow

3,600 posts

118 months

Friday 8th September 2023
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Always great to see an Alpine thread. What a car. High on my bucket list that one and definitely would get the Life package for it if I had one.

Looking at your garage OP (I'm always interested in what other cars people who own cars like the Alpine have experienced) you really do have very good taste. So many of my favourites in there.

Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Friday 8th September 2023
quotequote all
greenarrow said:
Always great to see an Alpine thread. What a car. High on my bucket list that one and definitely would get the Life package for it if I had one.

Looking at your garage OP (I'm always interested in what other cars people who own cars like the Alpine have experienced) you really do have very good taste. So many of my favourites in there.
Thanks, you prompted me to update the garage with the current fleet, just trying to tick off the attainable cars but struggling to think what could replace any of these without coming into some serious money

Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Thursday 14th September 2023
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Great to watch someone who is clearly a perfectionist at work.

Alpine down to Spires Technologies today for Eibach / Life110 springs and Life110 titanium tie rod ends to be fitted and fast road geometry setup with full alignment.

The car felt great to drive before, now its astonishing, the stiction around dead ahead has gone and the brittleness to the ride on poor surfaces has completely gone - complete transformation.

[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/zAsurAEN[/url


Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Sunday 24th September 2023
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Trip through North Wales on some of my favourite roads (B4391 in particular) and I now understand why all the road testers rave about the car - it was absolutely fantastic, perfect amount of power, incredible poise and adjustability, almost sorry to arrive at the Portmeirion village where we had booked to stay the night.

Car still being run in and engine is pretty tight but across country even without using all of the rev range I'd say it would completely wipe the floor with the Tuscan and the Vantage - bonus was getting home and filling up to discover it had averaged 38mpg

Car currently has had the following changes made:

Life110 shift paddles
Life110 / ITG air filter
Life110 fast road suspension geometry
Life110 / Eibach springs
Bagworld fitted luggage set
Fully ceramic coated (paintwork and wheels)

Pretty much where I want it at the moment and going to concentrate on enjoying it






Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Sunday 29th October 2023
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As this car is intended to be a long-term keeper I thought I'd up the standard protection on the car, might make no difference to it whatsoever but it can hardly have a negative impact.

My go-to anti-corrosion product is Bilt Hamber Dynax UC so a few tins bought and off to work.

Arch liners to come off, very straightforward, a fair number of push fixings that stayed in one piece on removal (I have a big stock of spare fastenings anyway) and a number of screw fixings (only two sizes) within the arch and underside and with a bit of pushing and pulling the front liner popped out, its two pieces with a join at the top.





Arch liner cleaned up and ceramic coated (again not really necessary but cannot do any harm and then a liberal spraying of the Dynax UC. I used the lance attachment which does not give it as even a finish as the normal spray head but more easily controllable and 95% of the area covered was going to be behind the liner anyway.

Nice opportunity to clean everything up (despite only 800 miles #on the odo and have a good poke around at the engineering on show, flat underside is pretty impressive and the diffuser starts long way forward so probably not just for show.

url]|https://thumbsnap.com/iUTsSWbX[/url]

[

Always slightly nervous when removing stuff like this that I will be able to get it back ok - fortunately everything went back with no problem whatsoever, and even better, no fixings went missing or were left over.

Nearside rear was simply a repeat of nearside front but with fewer fixings and a single piece liner, just got the offside to do in the coming week.

Olivera

7,154 posts

240 months

Sunday 29th October 2023
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Andy665 said:
What's all the yellowish crud everywhere, is that before cleaning or is it the Bilt Hamber product?

TheDoggingFather

17,103 posts

207 months

Sunday 29th October 2023
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Lovely car, mild lowering has once again transformed the Alpine in to the car it should have been when it left the factory, Brilliant thumbup

Andy665

Original Poster:

3,629 posts

229 months

Sunday 29th October 2023
quotequote all
Olivera said:
What's all the yellowish crud everywhere, is that before cleaning or is it the Bilt Hamber product?
Thats the Bilt Hamber UC, photo was taken mid application and I know from experience that it dries pretty much clear, 95% of it is hidden by the arch liners anyway so I could have gone with the dark brown Bilt Hamber I already had in (UB) but was unsure of how much of it would be visible afterwards, products are the same


Edited by Andy665 on Sunday 29th October 14:24

Speed1283

1,167 posts

96 months

Sunday 29th October 2023
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Really nice car OP, I think they are great looking things and white really suits it.

Appreciate it's not about power necessarily but do you think you'll look into a mild remap and/or exhaust modifications?