Little bit of class

THE SAYING goes that you should never meet your heroes. So by all rights, I shouldn’t be driving this car. Well not this car exactly, but its predecessor, the original Renault Alpine A110 from the 1960s famed for its rallying success. Bad timing and sheer physics (it’s tiny) have meant I’ve never got around to it, so this new version is the next best thing.

Renault isn’t pulling any punches with this new A110. It’s unashamedly aiming at the likes of the Porsche Cayman, which is nobody’s idea of an easy target.

While Renault might not quite have the same level of badge kudos as the Porsche, this new Alpine has the looks. It takes more than a few styling hints from the original and it’s also very small.

There’s also the issue of the A110’s engine. A 1.8-litre turbo-petrol does seem to be a little short-changed for a sports car, even with 248bhp.

The proof of the pudding however comes in the Alpine’s size and its low weight – just 1.1 tons. The result is that it can get from 0 to 60mph in just 4.5 seconds and on to a 155mph top speed along with 138g/km emissions and

46mpg average fuel economy.

To achieve the same level of performance, the Porsche Cayman S has a 2.5-litre engine with 350bhp, much higher emissions and 47st more in weight.

Lotus founder Colin Chapman boasted about “adding lightness” to his cars to achieve better performance and this Alpine is the perfect example of that.

Put simply, the more weight you can remove from a car, then the less power you need to achieve an equal performance level plus you can fit smaller brakes.

The absence of that extra 47st is immediately obvious when you climb into the Alpine.

It’s not quite to the same spartan level as a Lotus Elise, but it isn’t far off.

Practicality-wise, there’s a tiny slot for your mobile phone and the ignition key card plus a small shelf underneath.

There are no cupholders, no door pockets and no glovebox, so you need to pack wisely. Our car also had sporty fixed bucket seats to further save weight. Overall, the build quality and materials are good, but there are still some elements such as the stereo volume controls and the old-style key card (rather than its latest version for some reason), which are from the old-generation Renault parts bin. These thoughts don’t disappear altogether when you press the starter button and set off, but they certainly start to dissipate. The 1.8-litre engine fires up with little drama and things remain that way at suburban speeds.

Turn on to twistier and faster roads though and the Alpine’s true nature begins to appear. Flick down a couple of gears via the fixed gearchange paddles (which we’d prefer if they were mounted on the steering wheel itself) and flex your right foot in anger and the Alpine’s responses are immediate with the car leaping up the road.

Suddenly the car feels alive in your hands, with the steering sensitive to every input and a feeling of being totally at one with the car. Even more, that 1.8-litre engine turns out to be an absolute screamer at higher revs, proving positively addictive to push the needle higher up the dial. It’s at its best when pushed hard.

The Sport mode, activated via a button on the steering wheel itself, just heightens all of this further still.

What’s obvious is that on the right road, the A110 is an utter joy to drive and to drive quickly. You might think that you need to be Lewis Hamilton to notice that lack of weight we mentioned earlier, but the reality is that it’s so significant that the car shouts that message to the driver with every element of its driving experience – it’s no mistake that it’s a feeling not entirely unlike that found in the current Mazda MX5 that has a similar lightweight ethos.

You’re not simply just a driver steering the car in the direction you want it to go no matter how fast you’re going, as you might do in rivals.

Instead, it almost becomes a symbiotic relationship as the car is so responsive and intuitive to your thought processes, particularly when pressing on. Yes, it has a tendency to follow the camber of the road and the ride is on the sportier side of firm, but we’re willing to forgive that.

All that said, it’s not perfect. It would be polite to say that the Alpine’s rearward vision is like looking through a letterbox, it’s actually far worse than that. The two boots, front and rear, are laughably small and when you’re not in the mood for driving hard, it certainly won’t be as relaxing to drive on a daily basis as a Boxster or Cayman.

But you’re unlikely to fall in love with either of those two like you will this Alpine. The £51,805 price isn’t the easiest to stomach, but then all of the initial Premiere Edition models sold out and it’s easy to see why potential Cayman buyers might want something a little different. The hero worship might be about to start all over again.