ALPINE A110 COUPE SPECIAL EDITION 1.8L Turbo 300 R 2dr DCT

Sportscar enthusiasts will welcome back the Alpine brand and its first credible modern-era contender, the A110 coupe. Jonathan Crouch drives it

Ten Second Review

Alpine is a name you might dimly remember. A French sportscar manufacturer long forgotten. Except that it's back. And this Renault-owned brand is gunning for class-leading performance coupes like Porsche's 718 Cayman and BMW's M2 with this car, the A110.

Background

Alpine has quite a history. So much so in fact that you might wonder why it took Renault so long to reinstate the marque in the sportscar sector. Founder Jean Redele created the marque to build lightweight, compact, highly agile sportscars, but the company has also been highly instrumental in Renault motorsport success, the Alpine-Renault team claiming the World Rally Championship manufacturers' title in 1973. In more recent road car terms, there's been little that's been properly Alpine-badged since the sleek GTA coupe of 1985, but in 2012, a joint venture with Caterham Cars was hatched to revive the brand. It was based around creating the design you see here, but Caterham pulled out of the project in 2014. Leaving Alpine to complete the task of bringing what has become this A110 model to market. Here, we take a look at the revised range.

Driving Experience

All A110 variants get a 1.8-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine mated to a quick-shifting 7-speed paddle-shift Getrag dual-clutch auto gearbox - there's unfortunately no manual option. The standard model offers 252hp, but you can also consider pricier 'GT' and more driver-focused 'S' and 'R' models, both of which use the same engine tuned out to 300hp. These top versions get a sports exhaust so you can hear it better and the 'S' and more lightweight 'R' feature a Sport chassis with recalibrated anti-roll bars and 50% stiffer coil springs. Across the range, as you'd expect, there's a driving modes system offering Normal, Sport and Race options. As for the figures, well rest to 62mph occupies 4.5s in the standard model (it's 4.2s with the 300hp variants) on the way to the 170mph top speed that all A110 models share. By comparison, a Porsche 718 Cayman manages 5.1s and 171mph. The aluminium body has a low centre of gravity - there's a near-perfect 44/56 front-to-rear weight distribution - and doesn't need the broad tyres that some rivals depend on for cornering vim. In the 'S' model, there are hollow lightweight anti-roll bars instead of solid heavy ones - one reason why the kerb weight of this car can dip beneath the 1,150kg mark. Armed with this information, you start to understand why the performance of this car betters its Cayman counterpart, even though this Alpine engine's output is much lower.

Design and Build

The A110 is based almost completely on the Alpine Vision concept car that the brand showed to the press in Monaco back in 2016. It's an attractive, distinctive thing, though inevitably perhaps, not quite as eye-catching as the model that inspired its badging, the A110 Berlinette of 1969, styled by Giovanni Michelotti and recognised widely as one of the most beautiful sports cars of all time. But back to the present. The bodywork of this modern day A110 is entirely constructed from aluminium And inside, well like most mid-engined sports cars, this one is a strict two-seater. You get a couple of deeply-bolstered sports bucket seats upholstered in leather and alcantara and finished with evocative blue stitching. Cabin quality is better than you might think given the Renault heritage. True, there are Renault switches and controls deployed in certain places but that's all been done quite tastefully. There are two flat screen TFT displays, one viewed through the wheel - a 10-inch screen for the instrument gauges. The other 7-inch monitor is in the centre of the dash for the navigation and telematics. As for practicalities, there's a 100-litre boot in the front and another 96-litre boot area in the rear.

Market and Model

Pricing starts at just under £54,500 for the standard 252hp model: you'll need upwards of £65,000 for the various 300hp variants like the plusher 'GT' - or around £67,500 for the more focused 'S'. The S also comes in 'Enstone Edition' form at around £74,000. The A110 R is priced up at around £97,000, plus there's a lesser Alpine R Turini version at around £91,000 and a pricier Alpine R Le Mans model at a cool £122,000. Plus a rare and even faster A110 R Ultime model, which makes 62mph in just 3.8s. Whatever your model preference, finding a car to try might be a challenge: there are only a handful of Alpine dealers in the UK - all large Renault dealer group outlets. All A110 models get a driving mode selector with three options: Normal, Sport and Race. In terms of specific spec, the base variant has adjustable sports seats trimmed in microfibre and leather, plus 17-inch light-alloy wheels, air-conditioning, an Alpine multi media system and front and rear LED lighting. To this, the 'GT' adds adjustable leather 'Comfort' seats, a sports exhaust, a special Alpine chassis, a high performance Brembo braking system and specific bi-colour 'Legende' 18-inch wheel rims which pay tribute to the original motif of the A110 Berlinette 1600S. The 'GT' also gets Park Assist with front and rear sensors and a rear-view camera. The track-focused 'S' version has a stiffer Sport chassis, and Sabelt Sport race-style seats in black microfibre with leather with orange over-stitching.

Cost of Ownership

So to the figures. Alpine quote a combined consumption figure of up to 33.6mpg on the combined cycle for all three variants and a CO2 emissions reading of up to 152g/km. A rival Porsche 718 Cayman 2.0 manages 38.2mpg and 168g/km. Helping the Renault-derived product is the fact that it weighs from under 1,150kg. Of course, if you drive this A110 in a typical manner, you'll get nowhere near the quoted figures. As with most models in the class, you'd struggle to achieve 30mpg on a regular basis, which would mean a real-world range of around 280 miles between fills of the 45-litre fuel tank. Depreciation of course will be a key consideration with an unknown brand. Rarity should help here though - and that classic Alpine heritage. Industry experts reckon that after three years of ownership, this A110 should still be worth around 55% of what you originally paid for it. That gets within 5% of what you'd get back from a rival Porsche 718 Cayman, which isn't a bad showing. All A110 variants have a 3-year/60,000 mile manufacturer's warranty, which can be extended to four or five years. Maintenance packages are also available.

Summary

In some respects, we've been here before. In 2013, Alfa Romeo launched a hand-built sportscar in this same sector called the 4C. It looked great on a motorshow stand, performed brilliantly on paper but ultimately rather lacked something on the road. From the outset, we wondered whether this A110 model was headed in a similar direction. Fortunately though, the effort put into tarmac R&D dynamics seems to have been much greater in this case. The few prepared to consider this car should find that on the road, it responds in a way that Alpine founder Jean Redele would have very much approved of. If you're about to sign for a Cayman or an M2, hold off until you've tried one of these first.

Body Glass

Aquablade windscreen wipers

Electric windows with one touch control

Automatic windscreen wipers

Brakes

Front and rear brembo high performance braking system

Compact aluminium brake calipers with integrated parking brake

4 piston fixed front calipers, single piston fixed rear calipers

Deactivatable stability control system

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Hill start assist

Emergency brake assist

Chassis/Suspension

R-Chassis with specific anti-roll bar for improved

Front and rear double wishbone suspension system

Driver Aids

Power assisted steering

Bespoke engine calibration with driving mode selector (Normal, Sport and Track)

Cruise control + speed limiter

Reversing camera

Driver Information

Emergency call service

Alpine multimedia system with 7" touchscreen navigation, Android auto/apple carplay, bluetooth compatibility, connected services, USB,jack plugs

Gear change indicator on driver cluster

Driving Mirrors

No rear view mirror

Electric heated aspherical wing mirrors

Engine

100l rear trunk

96l front trunk

Rear axle fairing

Entertainment

Alpine telemetrics

Two USB ports

Exterior Body Features

Black Alpine logo on the front wings

Rear boot

Two-tone color: Carbon roof + deep black arches

Black Alpine monogram on front and rear bumpers

French flag on door panels

Flat underbody

French flag on C pillars

R exhaust with 3D printed dual central tail pipe

R Carbon kit - front bonnet, rear cover, lateral skirts, rear diffuser, aerocarbon wheels

Exterior Lights

Rear carbon cover with third brake light

Red LED tail lights with dynamic indicators stop lights and reversing lights

Headlights with black inlay

Automatic headlights

Follow me home lighting

Daytime running lights

4 LED front headlamps

Heating/Cooling/Ventilation

Automatic climate control

Interior Features

Aluminium Passenger footrest

Aluminium drivers footrest

Steering wheel 12 o'clock mark

Rake/reach adjustable steering wheel

Stainless steel door sills with version label

Aluminium paddle shifters on steering column

Black logo in centre of steering wheel

Aluminium sport pedals

Packs

R microfiber pack - A110R

R Aero kit - A110R

Safety

Sabelt six points safety racing harness

Driver airbag

Seatbelt reminder for driver and passenger with presence detection

Tyre pressure sensors

Seat Piping/Additional Trimming

Contrasting grey stitching

Seats

Black safety harness

Sabelt track one-piece bucket seats in carbon structure with microfiber pads

Front headrests

Single front passenger seat

Security

Keyless Start

Anti theft alarm pre-equipment

Transmission

7 speed dual-clutch automatic transmission

Wheels

Track tyres Michelin PS CUP2

Wheels - Alloy

18" Aerocarbon white edging alloy wheels

Wheels - Spare

Compressor and Cartridge inflation repair kit

Emissions - ICE

Particles: N

HC+NOx: N

Standard Euro Emissions: EURO 6

WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Comb - TEL: 154

WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Comb - TEH: 156

WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Comb: 155

Engine and Drive Train

Fuel Delivery: TURBO DIRECT INJECTION

Gears: 7 SPEED

Transmission: SEMI-AUTO

Engine Layout: REAR TRANSVERSE

Catalytic Convertor: No

Cylinders: 4

Cylinder Layout: IN-LINE

Number of Valves: 16

CC: 1798

Cylinders - Stroke (mm): 90

Cylinders - Bore (mm): 79

Fuel Consumption - ICE

WLTP - MPG - Comb - TEL: 41.5

WLTP - MPG - Comb - TEH: 40.9

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Comb - TEL: 6.8

EC Directive 1999/100/EC Applies: 0

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Comb - TEH: 6.9

General

Did at least one aspect of this vehicle's safety give cause for concern?: 0

NCAP Child Occupant Protection %: N

Special Edition: No

Special Order: 0

Based On ID: 99618

Insurance Group 1 - 50 Effective January 07: 50E

Service Interval Mileage: 12000

Service Interval Frequency - Months: 12

NCAP Adult Occupant Protection %: N

Alternative Fuel Qualifying: 0

NCAP Pedestrian Protection %: N

NCAP Safety Assist %: N

NCAP Overall Rating - Effective February 09: N

Badge Power: 300

Badge Engine CC: 1.8

Vehicle Homologation Class: M1

Generation Mark: 1

Standard manufacturers warranty - Mileage: 60000

Manufacturers Paintwork Guarantee - Years: 3

Manufacturers Corrosion Perforation Guarantee - Years: 12

Standard manufacturers warranty - Years: 3

Coin Description: Turbo 300

Coin Series: R

Performance

Engine Power - KW: 221

0 to 60 mph (secs): 0

Engine Power - PS: No

Engine Power - BHP: 300

Engine Power - RPM: 6300

Engine Torque - LBS.FT: 251

Engine Torque - MKG: 34.7

Top Speed: 177

Engine Torque - NM: 340

Engine Torque - RPM: 2400

0 to 62 mph (secs): 3.9

Test Cycles

Emissions Test Cycle: WLTP

RDE Certification Level: RDE 2

Tyres

Tyre Size Spare: TYRE REPAIR KIT

Tyre Size Front: 215/40 R18

Wheel Type: 18" ALLOY

Tyre Size Rear: 245/40 R18

Wheel Style: AEROCARBON

Space Saver?: 0

Alloys?: No

Vehicle Dimensions

Width (including mirrors): 1980

Length: 4256

Width: 1798

Wheelbase: 2420

Height (including roof rails): N

Height: 1238

Weight and Capacities

Gross Vehicle Weight: 1316

Turning Circle - Kerb to Kerb: 11.4

No. of Seats: 2

Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres): 45

Max. Loading Weight: 234

Minimum Kerbweight: 1082

Brakes

Grey brembo brake calipers

Yellow brembo brake calipers

Silver brembo brake calipers

Vibrant gold brembo brake calipers

Alpine blue brembo brake calipers

Carpets/Rugs

Floor mat with Alpine logo

Driving Mirrors

Folding door mirrors

Entertainment

Premium focal audio system

Exterior Body Features

Heritage paint

Alpine atelier paint

Additional Matt paint

Additional Metallic paint

Special metallic paint

Matt paint

Pearlescent paint

Interior Features

Leather interior harmony

Packs

Storage pack - A110

Ultralight R pack - A110R

Paint - Metallic

Metallic - Deep black

Additional Metallic - Abyss blue

Additional Metallic - Thunder grey

Paint - Pearlescent

Pearlescent - Iridescent white

Paint - Special

Alpine atelier piant - Alpine heritage blue

Alpine atelier piant - Alpine steel blue

Alpine atelier piant - Emerald green

Alpine atelier piant - Ash green

Alpine atelier piant - Normandy green

Alpine atelier piant - Ruby red

Alpine atelier piant - Heather pink

Alpine atelier piant - Black tulip

Alpine atelier piant - Dune

Alpine atelier piant - Cornaline beige

Alpine atelier piant - Montobello grey

Matt paint - Thunder grey

Additional Matt paint - Racing blue

Alpine atelier piant - Steel grey

Alpine atelier piant - Sierra blue

Alpine atelier piant - Azur blue

Alpine atelier piant - Lime green

Alpine atelier piant - Dark blue

Alpine atelier piant - Blood orange

Alpine atelier piant - Vanilla

Alpine atelier piant - Garden green

Alpine atelier piant - Peacock blue

Alpine atelier piant - France blue

Alpine atelier piant - Neptune blue

Special metallic - Fire orange

Special metallic - Alpine blue

Trim - Leather

Leather interior harmony - Black

Trim - Part Leather

Microfiber leather - Black