Photo: Alpine / edited
The most popular hill climb of the lot will return on June 25 to Pikes Peak by Cascade in Colorado. The 101st running of the Race to the Clouds will include a rather curious entry in the form of a French mid-engine sports car, namely a specially modified Alpine A110 that seems a little bit out of place.
Why did the Renault-owned automaker take on this rather daunting challenge? For starters, the original A110 has proven its mettle in this particular scenario. The French berlinette won its class in the Mont-Dore hill climb back in 1965. Come 1970, a gentleman by the name of Jean Ortelli won the French Group 3 and Group 4 titles with a prepped 1,300-cc Alpine A110.
The list of national and international titles on Wikipedia is an exhaustive one, but that's not all there is to the little sports car from Dieppe. Its long-awaited heir apparent, the modern-day A110 in GT4 flavor, secured the GT Sport crown with Anthony Dubois at the wheel in the 2020 French Mountain Championship. Pedigree? The A110 has it, and then some!
Championed by Alpine chief executive officer Laurent Rossi and Signatech big kahuna Phillipe Sinault, the A110 Pikes Peak isn't going to blast the competition away with its four-cylinder turbocharged engine. It's more important for Alpine to race at Pikes Peak in order to open the North American public to this lesser-known automaker, which is likely to enter the North American continent via AutoNation's network.
Back in February 2023, both parties were discussing a potential sales and service deal. Nothing has transpired yet, but it appears the talks are going in the right direction. How come? Well, why would AutoNation sign a sponsorship deal with Alpine's F1 outfit for the 2023 Miami Grand Prix?
The only problem with Alpine heading to the US and Canada is the French company's one-model range. The A110 does have appeal, but only a handful of peeps would buy one in a heartbeat over a Porsche 718 or a similar midship car.
Alpine's upcoming three-car Dream Garage is a little unsuitable for North America as well, for it comprises a Renault 5-based electric hot hatchback, an electric take on the A110, and an electric compact crossover with Renault underpinnings. Only the latter is expected to sell in relatively large numbers. By Alpine's current standards, that is.
On a final note, how different is the A110 Pikes Peak from its road-going siblings? The list begins with 500 ponies from a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder lump, which is ridiculous in every respect, shaming even AMG's hand-built I4.
Controlled by a Magneti-Marelli engine control unit, the force-fed lump drives the rear wheels via a 3MO sequential transmission instead of the factory-equipped DCT. Gifted with a sintered steel twin-disc clutch and a self-locking LSD out back, the Pikes Peak-specification racecar also rocks ALP Racing Suspension with three-way adjustments, six- and four-piston brake calipers from Brembo, an FIA-homologated fuel cell with 25 liters (6.6 gallons) to its name, and many aerodynamic mods. All told, this cutesy-looking machine is actually a beast if you also account for its curb weight, namely 950 kilograms (2,094 pounds).
The list of national and international titles on Wikipedia is an exhaustive one, but that's not all there is to the little sports car from Dieppe. Its long-awaited heir apparent, the modern-day A110 in GT4 flavor, secured the GT Sport crown with Anthony Dubois at the wheel in the 2020 French Mountain Championship. Pedigree? The A110 has it, and then some!
Championed by Alpine chief executive officer Laurent Rossi and Signatech big kahuna Phillipe Sinault, the A110 Pikes Peak isn't going to blast the competition away with its four-cylinder turbocharged engine. It's more important for Alpine to race at Pikes Peak in order to open the North American public to this lesser-known automaker, which is likely to enter the North American continent via AutoNation's network.
Back in February 2023, both parties were discussing a potential sales and service deal. Nothing has transpired yet, but it appears the talks are going in the right direction. How come? Well, why would AutoNation sign a sponsorship deal with Alpine's F1 outfit for the 2023 Miami Grand Prix?
The only problem with Alpine heading to the US and Canada is the French company's one-model range. The A110 does have appeal, but only a handful of peeps would buy one in a heartbeat over a Porsche 718 or a similar midship car.
Alpine's upcoming three-car Dream Garage is a little unsuitable for North America as well, for it comprises a Renault 5-based electric hot hatchback, an electric take on the A110, and an electric compact crossover with Renault underpinnings. Only the latter is expected to sell in relatively large numbers. By Alpine's current standards, that is.
On a final note, how different is the A110 Pikes Peak from its road-going siblings? The list begins with 500 ponies from a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder lump, which is ridiculous in every respect, shaming even AMG's hand-built I4.
Controlled by a Magneti-Marelli engine control unit, the force-fed lump drives the rear wheels via a 3MO sequential transmission instead of the factory-equipped DCT. Gifted with a sintered steel twin-disc clutch and a self-locking LSD out back, the Pikes Peak-specification racecar also rocks ALP Racing Suspension with three-way adjustments, six- and four-piston brake calipers from Brembo, an FIA-homologated fuel cell with 25 liters (6.6 gallons) to its name, and many aerodynamic mods. All told, this cutesy-looking machine is actually a beast if you also account for its curb weight, namely 950 kilograms (2,094 pounds).
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