It’s been a long time coming but Renault sub-brand Alpine has finally released the first pictures of the car that will mark its return to the mass market.
The A110 will be a mid-engined two-seater sports car that will go up against Porsche’s 718 Cayman when it arrives in Renault showrooms towards the end of 2017, with prices expected to start from around £45,000.
These new images confirm that the A110 will look almost identical to the Alpine Vision Concept that debuted last year, boasting the same distinctive dual front LED lights.
There are some slight differences though, like the mirrors, which are more conventional than the concept.
It remains to be seen how the rear and interior will look, as we’ve only got the front and side shots for now.
Potential Power
More images and full details will be revealed at next week’s Geneva Motor Show, but some have predicted that the Alpine A110 will be driven by a mid-mounted 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, as was the case with the Alpine Vision Concept [pictured below].
That suggests the sports car could produce around 250bhp, all of which is sent to the rear wheels through a dual-clutch automatic transmission.
An all-aluminium platform and upper body are intended to keep weight to a minimum and optimise the car’s agility.
With such a low kerb weight, the car will be able to clear 62mph in 4.5 seconds. While the A110 may fall short of the 718 Cayman’s 295bhp, its light weight gains it a half-second advantage in a 0-62mph sprint.
The question is, would you rather have a racy Renault for £45k or a Porsche – that was named ‘Best Coupe’ in the 2017 UK Car of the Year awards incidentally – at £40k ? Err…
An even hotter RS version of the A110 with 300bhp, tuned by Renaultsport, is already being talked about. Aside from the power upgrade, it will also feature swollen rear wheel arches to allow wider tyres to be fitted, measures that will boost grip and stability.
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Alpine any day of the week; why would you want to follow everybody’ The A110 in its day was an amazing car and way above anything else in its class and absolutely stuuunnning looks. Looks like the new one won’t be far behind either in both performance and curbside appeal. Hope they produce a Rallying version.. No 911 would touch it at that weight no matter how big its engine.