Alpine A110 S: About Alpine

What Porsche is right, Alpine can only be cheap. As with the Porsche GT3 and the version with a touring package, the French sports car specialist Alpine is also competing with dizygotic twins. The Alpine A110 S is intended for the track, while the GT version puts more emphasis on comfort. The fact that both with 221 kW / 300 hp exceed the basic model by 35 kW / 48 hp is only a logical consequence. After all, the French measure themselves against the Porsche Cayman and every horsepower counts. In addition, the torque increases from 320 Newton meters to 340 Newton meters.

These values ​​are the perfect verbal ammunition for the Alpine aficionados in the performance quartet with the Porsche Cayman fans, since the Alpine now draws level with the basic Porsche 718 in terms of performance. However, the increase in torque got the engineers in trouble, because the Getrag seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is not designed for this power. So the technicians strengthened the innards of the gearshift and while they were already optimizing, the engineers pushed the two-seater straight into the wind tunnel and designed a dynamic aero package for the Alpine A110 S. An optimized front splitter pushes the front axle down at a top speed of 275 km/h with up to 60 kilograms and the rear spoiler generates a maximum contact pressure of 81 kilograms on the rear axle. The Alpine S driver grins broadly when he notes that the carbon elements only weigh 2.5 kilograms. With the additional charge of 5,360 euros, the corners of the mouth should move downwards.

The Alpine A110 S is designed for fun driving on the race track and the pilot is happy about every gram of contact pressure. But without suitable dampers and springs, these measures fizzle out. The Alpine engineers know this too and have given the athlete an improved chassis: the stabilizers are 100 percent stiffer than on the basic Alpine, the spring rates have increased by 50 percent, there are also hydraulic stops at the top of the spring struts and the wheels have more fall. The fact that the 18-inch tires are 215 millimeters at the front and 245 millimeters at the rear, each ten millimeters wider than on the basic Alpine, is only a logical consequence. The specially developed semi-slicks are suitable for the race track. Cleverly enough, the technicians didn’t touch the weight distribution of 56 percent at the rear and 44 percent at the front.

Because the Alpine A110 S is in top form on winding roads and lies in the driver’s hand like a perfectly balanced knife. Brake, turn in, aim for the apex and step on the gas. The agility triad is also easy to handle with the well-trained Frenchman. No grumpy twitching of the front axle and no nervous rear impede the pilot’s slalom ambitions. It’s impressive how neutral the mid-engine athlete carves around corners. The lightweight construction of the Alpine A110 S, which weighs just 1,109 kilograms, is particularly noticeable in fast corners. For comparison: the Porsche Cayman with PDK weighs 1,365 kilograms. Precise, communicative steering is another constant in the Alpine’s agility equation. The 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbo engine behind the driver ensures that the math adds up. After 4.2 seconds, 100 km/h is reached and it goes on up to 275 km/h (with the aero package, otherwise it is 260 km/h). The engine puts in a lot of effort, especially acoustically. The sonorous panting of the four pots is accompanied by the singing turbocharger, while the powerfully puffing bypass valve sets the pace.

However, the supercharged engine, in conjunction with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, allows itself a brief respite in normal driving mode before it gets down to business. It’s smoother in “Sport” and the unit shoots barking double-declutching salvos when downshifting, which tempt some passers-by to crane their necks. If you press the driving experience button on the steering wheel longer, the track mode unlocks all the vitamins. Switching is done with a rocker switch and the ESP gives the rear more freedom, but always keeps watch in the background. Experienced steering wheel artists can deactivate the anti-skid system in any driving program. It is a well-known fact that every medal has a downside, and so does this one. As brilliantly as the Alpine A110 S performs on the racetrack, the taut chassis doesn’t really get along with country roads that aren’t as flat as circuits. Anyone who wants to drive one of the two Power-Alpines every day is better off with the GT model. It has the good chassis of the “normal” A110, irons out bumps much more confidently and also offers all the fun modes. “That’s exactly how we want this clear distinction,” says chief engineer Denis Rebourg.

The interior conveys the usual Alpine flair with the nine-inch monitor and the Sabelt sports seats. This also includes the chunky ancient Renault infotainment plastic control lever on the steering wheel column. If you want, you can mirror your smartphone with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and racing drivers will be happy about the display of real-time telemetry data such as boost pressure, steering wheel angle and torque. The chronograph measures the lap times. But the times when the Alpine offered affordable driving fun are over for the S version. The top model now costs at least 70,850 euros. The fact that you then have to pay an extra 790 euros for parking sensors at the front and rear including a reversing camera, while the package is included in the GT version, is not entirely clear to us. For comparison: Porsche demands 58,038 euros for the Cayman with the same powerful engine. However, the option list for this model is not a minute’s reading.