In production since 2017, the Alpine A110 harks back to the original from the 1960s with a four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive. A superb-looking berlinetta that also happens to be very light by modern sports car standards, the overly expensive A110 is nearing its production life cycle.
According to former chief executive officer Laurent Rossi, who is currently focused on special projects within the Renault Group, the mid-engine A110 will be discontinued at the tail end of 2026 to make room for its zero-emission successor. In the meantime, the Renault-owned Alpine brand works on a hardcore version of the already hardcore A110 R.
Tentatively dubbed A110 RS, although certain peeps believe that it's called A110 Trophy-R as a nod to the Megane Trophy-R, the newcomer has been recently spied testing at the Nurburgring. It's not the first time the carparazzi spotted this fellow at the world's most grueling circuit, and it's not the first time we've seen the RS/Trophy-R in tripod mode at the entrance of the Caracciola-Karussell.
Extremely similar to the R in many respects, the RS features more aero bits and carbon-fiber goodies. The standout change is the small carbon-fiber aerodynamic fin attached to the rear window cover. The wheels are different from the R as well, and the rear wing mounts are unpainted as opposed to black for the version that improves on the go-faster S.
A simple look at the RS/Trophy-R is enough to understand that Alpine has created the fastest track-oriented A110 of them all. The French automaker from Dieppe is believed to reveal the mystery version at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2024.
Photo: Baldauf
Philippe Krief, who replaced Laurent Rossi as the big kahuna, made it clear that Alpine would premiere its first electric model at the Circuit de la Sarthe. It's easy to imagine the A290 sharing the limelight with the A110 RS/Trophy-R, but alas, we don't have any official confirmation in this regard.
The A290 is best described as the Renault 5 E-Tech with the Alpine touch, namely a B-segment hatchback developed with an emphasis on the driving experience. In addition to the A110 and A290, a pair of electric sport utility vehicles are in the offing, with said crossovers expected to compete in the same segments as the commercially successful Porsche Macan and Cayenne.
The zero-emission replacement for the A110, as well as the aforementioned sport utility vehicles, could be sold in the United States of America. The brand's return to the US market would not have been possible without dealer group AutoNation and investment firm RedBird. A four-seat coupe by the name of A310 is planned as well. The first US-bound vehicle will hopefully be delivered in 2027.
Alpine intends to launch a whopping seven electric vehicles by 2030, which is a tall order even for a volume automaker such as Renault. On the other hand, Alpine did post its third consecutive double-digit growth in terms of global sales in 2023, selling 4,328 units of the A110. That's 22 percent better than 2022, and – believe it or not – it's also better than the Dacia brand's 17-percent growth in sales.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News