Previewed for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show back in March, the A110 sports car marks the relaunch of the famed French brand that burst out onto the scene in the 1950s.
The first model to roll out of the factory is the all-new A110 Premiere Edition, a small lightweight sports coupe that will go head-to-head against the likes of the Porsche 718 and Alfa Romeo 4C.
Conceived as a standalone business unit within Groupe Renault, the A110 Premiere Edition is Alpine's first new model for two decades and limited to 1,955 units – a nod to the year Alpine was founded.
After such a long break from the sports car scene, the A110 Premiere Edition was well received by fans worldwide upon its release, with all Premiere Editions allocated to paying customers within five days of going on sale.
But luckily for those who missed out, a near-identical production series A110 will 'follow shortly.'
Designed and manufactured in France, the mid-engined, two-seater coupe features aluminium construction and sophisticated double-wishbone suspension.
The spots car weighs in at 1,103kg dry, and is powered by a turbocharged, 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, which developing 252kW of power and 320Nm. Like all Alpines should be, the A110 is rear-wheel drive.
Alpine say the A110 stays true to Alpine’s historic DNA, placing absolute agility and driving pleasure front and center, without compromising on everyday comfort.
“With the new A110 Premiere Edition we’ve taken the core principles that made Alpine so successful in the Sixties and Seventies – such as compact size, light weight and a very low centre of gravity – and deployed them with modern technologies," said Alpine managing director Michael van der Sande.
The Alpine executive also talked of an an ambitious long-term strategy for the brand stating, “It is my mission to establish Alpine as a permanent fixture in the sports car segment.”
The A110 Premiere Edition goes on sale in 11 markets in Europe, as well as Japan and Australia, with further markets still to be announced. It will be sold through dedicated dealerships - including 57 in Europe alone.
Michael van der Sande added: “Since we announced the relaunch of Alpine, the response has amazed us all. Even though Alpine went away for 20 years there is still so much passion and enthusiasm for it, not only in France, but all over the world, too.
“We decided Alpine should be a dedicated business unit with its own designers and engineers. We wanted these very passionate and skilled individuals to be completely dedicated to Alpine, to work closely together in agile, responsive teams.
“I am so pleased Alpine production is returning to the factory in Dieppe, in the very same production plant that was used to build Alpines all those years ago. The whole setup and culture there is still geared around low-volume, high-quality, sporty cars.
“We have put a lot of thought and investment into the factory - which is set up for production numbers in single digit thousands each year - to bring it up to the level we need in terms of fit and finish, consistency and quality control.”
