Alpine is one of the most iconic names in automotive history, yet for some reason, people seem to know very little about the French brand. It was established in 1954 and was designed to create racing and sports cars, and the first car that it built was the Alpine A106, which was then followed by the famous Alpine A110. However, the brand wasn’t its own entity for very long. It was bought up by Renault in 1973, and then merged with Renault altogether in 1976 and remained away from the world's eyes right up until 2017 when the brand was relaunched.
Since then, Alpine has created the all-new A110 sports car, and the brand is now adorning what was the Renault F1 team, and is competing in the World Endurance Championships hypercar category as well. The thing is, though, the new A110 never seems to get that much attention. For whatever reason, the quirky little sports car is overlooked by many, and perhaps only the brand's entry in Formula 1, and its shock win with Esteban Ocon in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, will make its presence more felt. The A110 is a great little sports car that deserves a lot of recognition.
The Original Version Of The A110
The first edition of the Alpine A110 first appeared back in 1961, designed by Giovanni Michelotti. It would remain in production until 1977. The A110 was styled as a Berlinette, which meant that it was a small, enclosed two-door berline car. The car used many Renault parts, as had earlier Alpine’s such as the A108, and a lot of the parts for the A110 came from the Renault R8. The A110 soon became available as a cabriolet as well, and was powered initially by either a 1.1-liter R8 Major or R8 Gordini engine. It would latterly become powered by a 1.5-liter Lotus inline-four and then 1.3 and 1.6-liter Renault inline-fours.
What made the A110 such a successful car though was the success it achieved in the rallying world. The car won several rallies in France in the late 1960s, but it was in the 1970s when it achieved the most fame. It competed in the International Championship for Manufacturers, the series that would ultimately become the World Rally Championship in 1973. From 1970-1972, the A110 won several notable events, such as the 1971 Rallye Monte Carlo at the hands of Swede Ove Andersson. Alpine would become the first World Rally Champion in the new series in 1973, with Renault competing with the A110 with a works team.
The Second Generation A110
The second generation of the A110 was launched in 2017 and is still in production to this day. Now the car has become a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car and features an all-aluminum construction. This time, power is provided by a 1.8-liter TCe M5P turbocharged inline-four engine that has a total power output of 249 hp. In terms of styling, it is clear that it is based upon the original A110, and for a modern reincarnation, it is very faithful to the original car. Exactly what you need when you are creating a second generation of a motoring icon.
Alpine went further and introduced the A110S in the summer of 2019. This is a high-performance and lightweight version of the A110, that has an increased power output from the engine that boosts the output up to 288 hp from the original 249 hp. This is thanks to the engine being retuned and being fitted with a larger turbocharger. Despite all this extra power, the reception the car had would be what was critical for it. Would it love up to the name of the original, or be dead and buried within a year?
A Very Enjoyable Sports Car
Well, the fact the car is still in production today is certainly a good sign that the car has been well received, and it has. James May, former Top Gear, and now Grand Tour host, loves the car and indeed bought an A110 in 2018. He claimed it his car of the year for 2018, and still owns it to this day. The A110 might not offer a lot of power, but for a car that is relatively light and small it's enough, and it's got great handling that allows it to be thrown around a bit and as such has often been called a very fun car to drive.
Carrying On The Alpine Legacy
It seems quite fitting then that this car is what is carrying on the legacy of the Alpine name. The original Alpine A110 is one of the most iconic sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s, and the Alpine name is equally iconic. Renault Sport was rebranded as Alpine in 2021, meaning pretty much all racing activities will be done under the Alpine name. It's thanks to this new A110, a car that never seems to get much attention, that the Alpine name is back and much more at the forefront of all things French than it has been for a very long time.
Sources: Top Gear, Car Scoops, Motor Biscuit, Top Gear, Sunday Times Driving, Alpine