Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
Already on sale in First Edition guise, the new sports car from Renault’s Alpine brand is set to be revealed at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. Despite it being preceded by two concept cars, the mid-engined model doesn’t have a name yet. And so, the question is: what it will be called? Let the speculation game begin.
A sure bet would be A110, just like its predecessor from the swinging 1960s. Renault still owns the right to use the A110 moniker, but that’s not the end of the story. The thing is, Renault applied for two other trademarks that could be applied to the yet-unnamed turbo'd sports car. These are AS110 and AS1.
According to Alpine Planet, the publication which brought the said trademarks to light, AS would stand for Alpine Sport. Regarding the numeric side of the deal, I’m afraid it’s anybody’s guess which trademark works best. I, for example, would go with AS110 as a nod to the old-school A110.
Having said these, Alpine is still keeping its lips tightly shut on the subject of name. Whatever the future holds, there’s no denying Renault used its entire know-how to design a fun-to-drive car. Recent spy photos reveal that the production model will borrow many styling cues from the concept cars.
On the engine side of the deal, the rumor mill suggests that the 1.6-liter turbo-4 from the Clio RS will be modified to 1.8 liters. I don’t know what to say about it other than, “the 2.0-liter turbo from the Megane RS makes more sense.” Regarding output, 280 to 325 horsepower should be the case, together with 300 (221 lb-ft) to 380 Nm (280.3 lb-ft) of torque. The Renault EDC dual-clutch transmission will do the shifting. And according to Renault, the new Alpine sports car can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.5 seconds.
Fast it may not be, but fun to drive? I’d surely bet on that.
According to Alpine Planet, the publication which brought the said trademarks to light, AS would stand for Alpine Sport. Regarding the numeric side of the deal, I’m afraid it’s anybody’s guess which trademark works best. I, for example, would go with AS110 as a nod to the old-school A110.
Having said these, Alpine is still keeping its lips tightly shut on the subject of name. Whatever the future holds, there’s no denying Renault used its entire know-how to design a fun-to-drive car. Recent spy photos reveal that the production model will borrow many styling cues from the concept cars.
On the engine side of the deal, the rumor mill suggests that the 1.6-liter turbo-4 from the Clio RS will be modified to 1.8 liters. I don’t know what to say about it other than, “the 2.0-liter turbo from the Megane RS makes more sense.” Regarding output, 280 to 325 horsepower should be the case, together with 300 (221 lb-ft) to 380 Nm (280.3 lb-ft) of torque. The Renault EDC dual-clutch transmission will do the shifting. And according to Renault, the new Alpine sports car can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.5 seconds.
Fast it may not be, but fun to drive? I’d surely bet on that.
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