More focused Alpine A110 model confirmed for spring launch

More focused Alpine A110 model confirmed for spring launch
Alpine will launch a more focused version of the A110 next month…
Lighter variant and also a higher-spec version of French sports car will go to Geneva show

Alpine will launch the lightest version of its A110 sports car at the Geneva motor show alongside a more luxurious, higher-specced variant to create two new bookends for the current line-up.

The new A110 Pure (pictured white here), as the lighter version is called, is expected to weigh just 1080kg thanks to a pared-back specifications list that does away with unnecessary luxuries. While not confirming exact details yet, Alpine said the Pure retains the “minimalist approach” of the Premiere Edition - the trim offered with the car at launch - but that it is more “driver focused”.

Alpine A110: full specifications

This suggests it could ditch heavier cabin materials and use the lightest wheel option to minimise its unsprung mass. The car could also sacrifice some soundproofing as part of its diet and will become the new entry-level version of the A110.

Drive will come from the same turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine producing 249bhp and 236lb ft of torque as the Premiere Edition, so power-to-weight will be the car's headline 231bhp/tonne – 9bhp more than arch-rival Porsche 718 Cayman.

Alpine may also adjust the car’s double wishbone suspension for sharper handling. Although unconfirmed, this is the strategy offered by parent company Renault with its performance models, such as the new Renault Sport Mégane RS, which comes with an optional Cup chassis.

Alongside the Pure will be a new range-topping model called the Légende (painted grey here), which will be a more refined A110 better suited to everyday driving. Expect this variant to receive leather seats, as well as a more forgiving chassis set-up than the Pure. Like the Pure, the Légende will retain the launch A110’s 249bhp engine.

The two new variants signal the start of a line-up expansion for the A110. A probable next addition will come with more power because while the A110's engine is shared with the Mégane RS, it falls short of the hot hatch’s power output by 33bhp. This emphasises how understressed the A110's current motor is and suggests a more potent version of the Alpine is in the pipeline.

Further evidence for this comes with the Mégane RS, which will almost certainly be launched with more power to create a closer rival to the Honda Civic Type R, which has 316bhp. If this RS powerplant were to be offered in the future A110 variant with around 300bhp, the sports car could produce in excess of 277bhp/tonne.

Following the Geneva motor show, Alpine, which is owned by Renault and based in Dieppe, will open its first UK dealers in the middle of this year.

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