Fun new Alpine’s all sweetness ..and light

From Monday, car tolls on the two Severn bridges were cut as the bridges return to public ownership. By the end of this year, they will have been removed altogether. About time too. It’s expensive and, pre-debit and credit card use at the tolls, it was a right nuisance having the right money. Once, I was testing a new Rolls-royce Corniche convertible and, to my horror, found I didn’t have enough money for the toll. Had to wait for a mate to turn up and bail me out, making me look like a right upper class twit. THE Mclaren 720S was the fastest, scariest and most extreme sports car I drove during 2017 – but it wasn’t the most fun.

That honour goes to the Alpine A110. We’ve mentioned this car quite a bit over the last few years, but just to refresh your memories I’ll fill you in with a bit of history.

Alpine was founded by Frenchman Jean Redele in 1955. His company started by modifying Renaults and then built its own sports and racing cars which triumphed in racing and rallying all over Europe. In 1962, the little A110 was launched and that car won the Monte Carlo rally in 1971 and the World Rally Championship in 1973, the year Alpine was bought by Renault.

The last car to carry the Alpine name was the A610 of the early 1990s and since then the badge has been sat gathering dust.

Alpine is back with this pretty mid-engined coupe, modestly powered and light on its feet.

The design is strongly reminiscent of the original A110. Too retro? Maybe, but it looks great and that’s what counts. The A110 Alpine A110

Tbc

1.8-litre, fourcylinder, 249bhp 4.5sec 46.3mpg

weighs only 1,100kg because its body is made from aluminium: bonded riveted extrusions and castings for the chassis and pressed alloy for the outer body panels. The engine is a new 1.8-litre, four-cylinder turbo unit that’s about to also do service in the Megane RS. It produces 249bhp but no doubt more powerful editions will follow later as the motor will easily produce