Western Mail

Alpine returns with A110 special

- Stewart Smith

economy is rated at 46.3mpg with emissions of 138g/km.

Designed and manufactur­ed at Alpine’s Dieppe plant, the mid-engined, two-seater coupe features aluminium constructi­on to keep weight to a minimum and sophistica­ted double-wishbone suspension and like all Alpines, it is rear-wheel drive.

Limited to 1,955 examples – a nod to the year Alpine was founded – the A110 Premiere Edition, which costs €59,500 (about £52,500), was fully reserved within five days of going on sale.

The production series A110 will follow shortly.

As well as a rich heritage in building agile, lightweigh­t sports cars Alpine is also well-known for competing at the highest level of internatio­nal motorsport. Its crowning glories include winning the 1973 World Rally Championsh­ip title and outright victory at the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Michael van der Sande, managing director of Alpine said: “It is an enormous privilege to relaunch a brand that instils such passion – but a big responsibi­lity too. This passion for Alpine, both within Groupe Renault and among sports car enthusiast­s, is huge. It has long been our ambition to bring Alpine back. Now, the time is right.

“With the new A110 Première 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. The car is an absolute pleasure to drive on country roads or on the track, but also very comfortabl­e to drive every day.

“It is my mission to establish Alpine as a permanent fixture in the sports car segment.”

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 ??  ?? The A110 Premiere Edition is powered by a turbocharg­ed, 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, which develops 252bhp
The A110 Premiere Edition is powered by a turbocharg­ed, 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, which develops 252bhp
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