GT SPORT: A110 reborn

The story starts with a French legend known as the Alpine A110, a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive coupe that became a sensation in the world of rallying.




First produced in 1961, the A110 is one of the most successful cars ever made, although it has some bits and bobs from the Renault 8 while featuring a steel backbone chassis with a fiberglass body. Prior to Renault's takeover of Alpine, the A110 involved in the world of rallying and where it scored eight wins out of 13 events since 1973. When the A110's production ended in 1977, a total of 7,160 cars are built. The A110 remains one of the most important sports car in history and it's so important, Renault decided to revive it for the 21st century.



And here it is, the 21st century Alpine A110, arrived exclusively at GT SPORT for the first time and when they said exclusive, THEY MEAN IT.



Unveiled to the world at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the 21st century Alpine A110 brings back the spirit of the legendary machine while promising a new kind of driving experience in the real world. Of course, for a car like this, it wasn't really meant to be fast on the straights. It was design to go fast in the real world, making it a serious car for serious drivers only. As a lightweight car, the new A110 not only uses a lightweight and rigid aluminum chassis but the stuff on the inside is pretty much lighter than everyday cars and as a result, it weighs about 2,432lbs. Powering the new A110 is the turbocharged 1.8L inline-4 engine producing 248HP of power and 320Nm of torque while mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, resulting to a 0-100kph time of four and a half seconds and a top speed of over 250kph. The suspension setup uses double wishbones at all fours.

Anyway, no time for dribble about that car because it's time to find out just what is like to drive one...



Despite being a light car, the A110 is surprisingly scary to drive if it oversteers. This is like getting wrestled by a gerbil bothering your home all day and all night and because it's mid-engine, there's no weight to the front, resulting to a questionable dynamics that puts themselves between a rock and a hard place. I know, I tried.



Scary the new A110 can be, I managed to get a hold of it and when I'm starting to familiarize with the questionable dynamics of the new A110, I'm starting to be with it. Yes, it can be somewhat unforgiving to drive if you're new to this but by getting the most out of it, the new A110 can be a potent track weapon that is made for serious drivers only, not made for people fancying themselves as cowboys. Anyway, to see how serious the new A110 can be, I'm looking for a very serious track to put this car to test its own theory and I found one.



The Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit is the ideal proving ground to see how serious the new A110 can be and by thorough investigation, having myself in the new A110 is a bewildering experience but in the interest of science, I'm stuck with it and to my amazement, the new A110 never fails to impress drivers with its racing pedigree honed by its legendary ancestor, even if its on a race track instead of the ancestor's favorite homefront. As I spent several moments toying around with the A110, I had a brainwave because since this is a lightweight mid-engined sportscar, how about comparing this to the other mid-engined sportscar worth noting?



Here's one, it's the Alfa Romeo 4C. It's lightweight and mid-engined just like the Alpine I'm driving. As I checked these two cars, the Alpine is slightly more powerful than the Alfa but the Alfa's got more torque and more lighter than the Alpine, making this a one-sided match. So, let's translate numbers into action with some timed laps to see which one is better. Let's cue the tape.



With the laps completed, let's find out the results...

A110 - 2:32.651
4C - 2:33.284

By amazement, the new A110 is over half a second quicker than the 4C, making it a shock result no one saw it coming but I'm impressed with what Alpine did to it.



That said, the new Alpine A110 is somewhat scary to drive for me but this is one of the most interesting sportscars ever driven in the game and between you and me, this could be your next favorite car. Although not as fast in the straights, the new A110 cares about its dynamics more than its performance and as a serious car made for serious drivers, it's all about getting the job done with no questions asked and I admire such tenacity this car possess.

Speaking of which, I had a little present for the new Alpine...



This is the new A110 I wanted it to be, which is a shame for everyone now that the new Alpine A110 is a certified Gran Turismo-exclusive. So, what can I say? Should I bash this new Alpine A110 for being a Gran Turismo-only car? Nah. Just burn it. Oh wait, someone already burned it so there's no need to do it. He he he...