Midship Frenchship

What we like:

Balanced mid-engined handling

Delivery of drive

Induction noise

Exhaust pops

Engaging drive

Styling quirks

What we dislike:

Air-conditioning vents in the middle cannot be adjusted

Infotainment user interface a little too basic

After more than 20 years, French specialist sports manufacturer, Alpine is back. The development of their newest sports car, the A110 could have been a no-go, since co-development with another specialist manufacturer, Caterham ground to a halt. Fortunately enough, Renault, which fully owns the Alpine marque, bought over Caterham’s share in the former 50-50 venture, started the ball rolling, and the coffee brewing with their engineers developing an impressively nippy mid-engined two-seater.

The revived A110 is produced in the very same factory in Dieppe, France, where the original Alpine cars were once manufactured. Alpine has gone through great lengths to painstakingly style their new sports car, with design elements taken from the original A110 Berlinette, which was introduced back in 1966.

Stylistic carry-overs like the additional pair of driving lamps, bonnet spine, side creased panel work and a slight oddly-shaped wraparound rear windshield have all made it into the new A110. It is with its quirks, but the car does grow on you.

Aluminium has been extensively used for the chassis and bodywork. So much is their obsession on keeping the A110’s weight down, they even incorporated the parking brake into its rear brake caliper, saving an additional 2.5kg. The car’s structure is also bonded with adhesive and riveted, further cutting down on weight; allowing Alpine’s new sports car to tip the scales at just 1,094kg… meaning that it is lighter than the Porsche Cayman.

A simple but purposeful interior reflects the A110’s sporting intent. You will find a scatter of switchgear sourced from their Renault parent, and in keeping with the lightweight theme, a few bits of carbon fibre trim, which are touchpoints within reach of the driver, blends well together with plastic, chrome, leather and alcantara. You will be able to see Alpine’s efforts in shedding weight within the cabin. Sabelt one-piece bucket seats, which sit on aluminium supports weigh in at only 13.1kg each.

A few gripes I have however... the central air-conditioning vent is a static unit, and therefore cannot be adjusted to your liking, and the user interface for the infotainment system, which uses a 7” touchscreen does seem a little skeletal.

While it is a serious sports car, Alpine has ensured that practicality has nott been overlooked. The A110 has two storage compartments, a practically-shaped rectangular 96 litre front storage, and a 100 litre boot, located behind the engine, which the French manufacturer says, is able to house two cabin bags, side-by-side.

A Renault-sourced 1.8 litre turbocharged engine, similar to the one found in their Golf GTi-whipping Megane R.S., finds its way into the A110, mounted midship, but in a lower state of tune. The Alpine dishes out 252hp and 320Nm, the latter which maxes at 2,000rpm; and is mated to a seven-speed Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) transmission which is specially tuned for the A110.

The Alpine takes just 4.5 seconds to clock 100Km/h, 0.2 seconds quicker than the Porsche 718 Cayman S, equipped with the “go-quicker” Sport Chrono Package. While the German car might have more power and torque, the Alpine has a better power-to-weight ratio.

With its mid-mounted engine, and fuel tank placement, the Alpine benefits from ideal 44:56 - front:rear weight distribution. Coupled with double wishbones, which helps to keep the wheels squared with the road surface, the A110 turns with the point-and-shoot accuracy you’d expect from a mid-engined car, since there is very little weight in the front. The direct feel of the steering, albeit a little on the lighter side, is something which is quite rare these days; contributes to the driving pleasure the A110 already gives.

Throttle response is also accurate, and with the Alpine’s delicate balance, you will grow to appreciate how you can pitch the A110 into the bends, with predictable amount of slip as you go along.

Naturally with an engine placed just a few inches from your back, you will be able to enjoy the soundtrack of that Renault-sourced four-cylinder; and while in Sport Mode, the variable exhaust releases satisfying pops when you lift off the throttle, and when in-between gears.

As a daily driver, and even without a fancy adaptive suspension, the Alpine is easy to live with. There is even enough ground clearance to head up or down carpark ramps, and clear humps.

Alpine’s reentry into the market, places its car squarely against the likes of the Porsche Cayman, for significantly less coin. And while the the options list on the 718 can be rather long, in Alpine’s case, it really is what you see is what you get.

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