Alpine is definitely not done milking its past rally successes with the A110, as illustrated by the purposeful-looking concept it's just revealed at the Festival Automobile International in France. The A110 SportsX is based on the 252hp Pure, but receives a raft of Monte Carlo Rally-inspired chassis and design upgrades in a nod to the original model's 1973 triumph there. Including - as you'll have noticed - a lifted and widened chassis for maximum Monte stance.
The car actually sits 60mm higher and 80mm wider than standard as a result of its bespoke suspension hardware, with visible underbody protection and a set of Michelin Primacy boots (with proper sidewalls) adding to the aggression. It's all capped off with tape over the spotlights and a pair of skis on the roof; even a new Alpine logo adds to the look. It leaves us longing for a roadgoing version that we can actually buy but, alas, the car is officially, "not available for sale". Boo.
At least we're not long from the A110 Rally's arrival, which is an actual competition version of the A110 available for order - and a likely benefiter (in terms of the attention it'll receive) from the creation of the SportsX concept. It was revealed in autumn 2019 at the Rallye Mont-Blanc in Morzine and following its homologation is on course to battle it out for real on the world stage. As a GT4-based machine, it's eligible to compete in the WRC's RGT class against Abarth 124s and Porsche Caymans in a rear-wheel drive class definitely worthy of your attention. See here for proof.
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