Photo: Jpog on behance.net
Introduced in 1961 with many Renault parts, the A110 cemented Alpine as one of the most revered French automakers on the rally stage and on the street. Built until 1977, the two-door berlinette with styling by Giovanni Michelotti tips the scales at a little more than 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds).
That kind of curb weight would make even the Mazda MX-5 Miata blush with admiration, and under the control of Renault, the redesigned A110 soldiers on as a lightweight sports car. Built in Dieppe just like its predecessor, the newcomer is available in two main variations for street use.
However, Alpine has yet to confirm or deny the imminent arrival of a soft-top convertible – or better still – a targa top like the car before your eyes. A series of three renderings by French pixel artist Jpog, the A110 Targa was penned with the help of Autodesk 3DS Max and Corona Render.
Though beautiful in every respect, the purity of the lines and curves takes the back seat if you take a look at how close the headrests are to the roofline. Indeed, this isn’t the kind of car you’d want to drive if you are tall.
Curiously enough, the fixed-head coupe offers decent headroom as well as plenty of legroom. The problem with chopping the roof off in favor of a targa top, however, boils down to the extra weight of the extra steel. Or aluminum if we’re to be more precise, including forged aluminum for the wheels.
Main rival Porsche did work its magic on the 718 series, though. The Boxster starts at 1,410 kilograms (3,109 pounds) in European specification while the Cayman is also rated at 1,410 kilos for the six-speed manual. Given how obsessed Alpine is with weight, it’s definitely possible for the A110 Targa to not differ at all from the sole body style the sports car boasts today.
Two years ago, managing director Michael van der Sande made it clear that Alpine doesn’t intend to roll out a convertible version because the French automaker doesn’t have a lot of history with open-top cars. On the other hand, a report from 2019 suggests that we may be treated to a soft top or a targa top by the end of 2020 for the 2021 model year. Right, moving on...
It should be mentioned that the A110 SportsX Concept from January 2020 proves that Alpine is open to experimenting. The high-riding sports car study has also brought back the Alpine SUV rumors from too many years ago.
However, Alpine has yet to confirm or deny the imminent arrival of a soft-top convertible – or better still – a targa top like the car before your eyes. A series of three renderings by French pixel artist Jpog, the A110 Targa was penned with the help of Autodesk 3DS Max and Corona Render.
Though beautiful in every respect, the purity of the lines and curves takes the back seat if you take a look at how close the headrests are to the roofline. Indeed, this isn’t the kind of car you’d want to drive if you are tall.
Curiously enough, the fixed-head coupe offers decent headroom as well as plenty of legroom. The problem with chopping the roof off in favor of a targa top, however, boils down to the extra weight of the extra steel. Or aluminum if we’re to be more precise, including forged aluminum for the wheels.
Main rival Porsche did work its magic on the 718 series, though. The Boxster starts at 1,410 kilograms (3,109 pounds) in European specification while the Cayman is also rated at 1,410 kilos for the six-speed manual. Given how obsessed Alpine is with weight, it’s definitely possible for the A110 Targa to not differ at all from the sole body style the sports car boasts today.
Two years ago, managing director Michael van der Sande made it clear that Alpine doesn’t intend to roll out a convertible version because the French automaker doesn’t have a lot of history with open-top cars. On the other hand, a report from 2019 suggests that we may be treated to a soft top or a targa top by the end of 2020 for the 2021 model year. Right, moving on...
It should be mentioned that the A110 SportsX Concept from January 2020 proves that Alpine is open to experimenting. The high-riding sports car study has also brought back the Alpine SUV rumors from too many years ago.
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