Major sports car brand reveals ‘final edition’ of iconic model that Formula 1 star helped to design
A MAJOR sports car brand has unveiled a special limited edition model which was designed with the help of a Formula 1 star.
Car enthusiasts will have to be quick as only 110 examples of the upgraded motor will be available for purchase.
French manufacturer Alpine, known for racing cars, is giving its iconic A110 an incredible transformation.
The final variant of the model was developed in collaboration with Alpine Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon.
The track-focused A110 will be priced well-above its predecessor which costs £90,000.
Motorists can prepare to splash at least £215,000 on the motor, as only 110 examples are expected to be built.
The A110 was seen testing at the motorsports complex, Nürburgring, in Germany.
The vehicle boasts R-sourced rear spoiler with considerably more extreme raking and little winglets on its endplates to enhance downforce.
To assist stability at high speeds, a new lip can be spotted below the spoiler.
In order to better cool a more potent engine, the new A110 has deeper nostrils on the bonnet above the radiator and a new set of canards up front.
The improved A110’s four-cylinder engine will also boost from 296bhp to approximately 330bhp, Autocar reports.
The car will reportedly reach a staggering 345bhp when running on 102Ron racing fuel, Le Alpinistes claims.
The stronger six-cog gearbox from the final-edition Renault Mégane RS Ultime – Renaultsport’s last vehicle – is likely to replace the conventional seven-speed automatic gearbox.
The switch will boost torque by roughly 50 per cent, which is predicted to go from 236 lb ft to 332 lb ft.
It’s been stated that the A110’s engine compartment will need to be modified in order to install a new gearbox, although it’s unclear how much the coupé’s chassis has been altered.
Alpine is also aiming to reduce the weight of the vehicle, including the full tank and all standard equipment, to under 1,000kg.
Similar power-to-weight ratio can be found on Cayman GT4 RS which rates at 348bhp per tonne as the car brand plans to beat Cayman’s lap time of 7 minutes 4.51 seconds.
In October, Ocon was caught by spy photographers behind the wheel of the A110, finishing the lap in 7 minutes 18.77 seconds – proving Alpine’s ambitions could become reality.
The latest A110 edition could be the last of the model before it is retired from the production and replaced by an electric vehicle.
A100 doesn’t comply with the EU regulations on GSR2 safety standards, which will take effect in July, severely restricting its sales.
Alpine has been given permission to trade A100 under the condition that it sells less than 1,500 models per year in the EU.
Roberto Bonetto, Alpine’s vice-president of engineering, told Autocar: “We believe we can use that to keep the A110 on sale in its most important European markets until July 2026 and hope to develop our market presence outside of the EU in order to export the balance of our cars and maintain a viable production volume for the factory.”
I drove Alpine’s A110 R - Road Test
By Rob Gill
This track-focused A110 R was optimised in the F1 team’s aero lab at Enstone.
Every part that could possibly be carbon fibre is carbon fibre. Even the wheels.
They cost £2k a corner and you’ll notice they don’t match.
Why?
The front wheels aid brake cooling and the rears cut drag. Proper geeky stuff.
The side skirts – also carbon fibre – widen the flat underbelly of the car to cut turbulence. The swan-neck rear wing adds downforce. The carbon fibre engine cover saves 4kg over glass.
I could go on but I won’t.
Except to say the A110 R looks wicked in the exact same blue as the Alpine F1 car.
So what’s it like to drive?
Hilarious. Everything pin-sharp. Everything easy. You can really feel the lightness and rigidity. It’s a truly special car.
And it’s fast.
Three hundred horses in a car weighing little more than a Walkers six-pack is all you need for a willing dance partner. It’s just 1,082kg.
An Alpine engineer told me: “It’s easy to add power to go faster in a straight line. Add lightness and you will go faster everywhere.”
There’s no denying the A110 R is expensive at £89,990. That’s £38k more than a standard A110. But Alpine is having no trouble shifting them.
And you know a car is good when the big chief at Renault tries a prototype and orders the first one. Alpine’s CEO bagged car No2.
Also, this is a cracking investment. It’s a French Porsche Cayman – but much rarer. And in 2026, they’ll be gone forever as Alpine becomes an EV-only brand. Grrrr.
That said, I’m excited to see Alpine’s spicy version of the Renault 5. The “urban racer” will be 220hp with an F1-style boost button. Electric torque vectoring will help it corner like a go-kart. And it should be HALF the price of an A110 R.