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Alpine A110 Targa Reportedly Coming in 2024 With Two-Piece Metal Roof

Designed by Giovanni Michelotti, the A110 was produced between 1963 and 1978 with Renault powerplants. The original variant offered merely 55 horsepower from 956 cubic centimeters, which seems too little for a two-door sports car. On the other hand, remember that the rear-engined berlinette weighs a little over 700 kilograms, namely a little over 1,543 pounds.
Alpine A110 GT 13 photos
Photo: Alpine / edited
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Alpine would upgrade its cute-looking berlinette with a 1,565-cc engine in 1969, a four-cylinder lump that would be further upgraded to 140 horsepower in 1973. Bodied in fiberglass over a backbone-style chassis, the A110 saw immense success in the world of rallying. The most notable of performances occurred in 1971, when the French berlinette won the Monte Carlo Rally outright.

Alpine stopped production of the A110 in 1977, after making 7,176 examples at the Dieppe plant, where Alpine continues to be based. Manufactured by FASA in Valladolid, the Spanish version was discontinued in 1978, with 1,566 cars to its name. In addition to being a proper collectible, the A110 also served as inspiration for the company’s long-awaited return as an automaker.

Alpine started making cars again in 2017, with the A110 currently available in four distinct flavors. The base variant is joined by the better-equipped GT, which is bettered by the track-focused S. The crème de la crème is called R, which is – in essence – a more focused S.

Alpine intends to build the internal combustion-engined A110 well into 2026, with Alpine currently developing an electric successor. The Renault-owned automaker is developing a few other electric vehicles that will hopefully bring Alpine into the mainstream, improving both sales figures and the company’s profit margins.

But in the meantime, Alpine is reportedly putting the finishing touches on a new variant of the A110. Our friends at Motor Espana understand that the A110 Targa is due to enter production in 2024 with a manually removable metal roof. The two-piece roof is reportedly meant for the base and GT specifications, which is understandable given that the track-oriented S and R really need the superior rigidity of a fixed metal roof.

The cited publication reports no other updates for 2024, with the targa-topped A110 due to go on sale in the summer of 2024. The timeframe would make it a 2025 model, and given that production is expected to end by the end of 2026, the targa will be a rare breed. Alpine sold 3,546 cars in 2022, and chances are that it won’t hit 10,000 units without at least one additional model line.

Back home in France, it’s priced at 62,500 euros or dollars at current exchange rates. All specifications use a Renault 1.8-liter turbo four-cylinder engine, with the base specification capped at 252 ps (240 horsepower). The GT, S, and R are bumped up to 300 ps (296 horsepower), with top speed favoring the latter. According to Alpine, the R hits 285 kph (177 mph).
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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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.
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