Please note that the following story, regarding the new Alpine A110 Légende GT is infused with the pustulating frustration that we still don't have any official Alpine dealers nor importers in Ireland. Gah! Sacré Blu! Anyway...
More luxurious Légende GT model
In the absence of the Geneva Motor Show, Alpine (as with everyone else) was busily showing off its new wares online, and while the A110 is hardly new at this stage, there is a new version of it, one that cleaves slightly closer to the luxury end of the scale. The Alpine A110 Légende GT: "delivers heightened luxury to the A110 premium sports car" according to Alpine.
For a start, the Légende comes in three new colour options - Mercury Silver, which is new to the Alpine colour palette, plus Deep Black and Abyss Blue - and has pale gold Alpine badging, for a more classical look. There are 18-inch diamond-cut Serac alloy wheels finished in the same pale gold colour, and the Légende also gets translucent white LED tail lights.
Inside, there are illuminated kickplates at the bottom of the doors, and new six-way adjustable Sabelt bucket seats finished in leather dyed a "warm shade of amber." There's matching leather on the door cards, with contrast brown stitching, a 12-o'clock marker on the steering wheel, and glossy carbon-fibre elements with a contrasting copper weave. There's also a numbered plaque on the dash, just to remind you of how special this all is.
To make the Légende a little more practical, it comes with a set of fitted luggage, a three-piece set that fits neatly into the rear compartment (Alpine's don't have anything quite so ordinary as a boot...). There's also an extra storage tray under the seats, now.
The Légende gets the same 249hp 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, minimal weight, and dual-clutch transmission help as the regular A110, and can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds and allow for a top speed of 250km/h. Standard equipment includes an active sports exhaust, uprated Brembo brakes, parking sensors, a reversing camera and a Focal stereo.
Alpine design director Antony Villain comments: "With A110 Légende GT we have stretched the sophistication and grand touring aspects of the A110 - showing that as well as being a thrilling sports car, an Alpine can equally be a refined GT as well. It is the most elegant Alpine so far, designed to appeal to buyers who value lasting quality and timeless design, be it in the watch they wear, the clothes they choose or the sports car they drive. The three colour options we have made available for A110 Légende GT reinforce the car's subtle and refined character. The pale gold elements and translucent taillights clearly identify the most sophisticated car in the Alpine range. The amber leather upholstery within the cabin and carbon fibre pieces with a warm copper weave, meanwhile, deliver our most inviting interior yet. A110 Légende GT is the perfect sports car for that well-earned weekend getaway."
The price? €69,300 in France. Still no idea of what it would cost here, more's the pity.
A110 Color Edition
There's more Alpine angst if you're looking for it, with the launch of both the A110 Color Edition (sic) 2020 and the new Atelier Alpine customisation service.
The Color Edition for this year revives a famous colour from Alpine's past - Sunflower Yellow. The model will be available to order between now and the end of the year, after which the paint finish will be retired from Alpine's colour palette. The idea is that every year, a new colour will be offered as a strictly limited edition.
The 2020 Color Edition gets some dark-finished exterior trim, new badges that replace the French tricolours with carbon and yellow badges, there are 18-inch GT Race alloys, and an optional carbon-finish for the roof. Inside, there are carbon-backed Sabelt bucket seats with fixed backrests. The mechanical spec is the same as the A110S, so that means a 292hp powertrain and focused chassis tune for a 0-100km/h time of just 4.4 seconds, while the top speed is 261km/h.
Alpine Design Director Antony Villain comments: "The new A110 Color Edition programme gives us the opportunity to really enhance the characteristics of different versions of the A110. For 2020, we have recreated the Sunflower Yellow colour from Alpine's past, here with a solid finish to really complement the sporty, intense persona of the A110S. For me, Sunflower Yellow and the A110S make for a perfect combination. Until now we haven't shown the A110 in many vibrant colours, but with Alpine firmly re-established we will start to see many more bold colours like Sunflower Yellow beginning to come through, thanks to the A110 Color Edition and Atelier Alpine programmes. Unveiling A110 Color Edition 2020 at the same time as A110 Légende GT, models that stretch the A110 in two distinct directions, demonstrates the car's very broad spread of abilities."
More customisation options
The Atelier Alpine is Alpine's new customisation service (think of it as similar to Aston Martin's Q Division, but much, much more affordable...). You'll be able to pick contrasting wheel and brake caliper colours, and choose from 29 new paint finishes, which will each be limited to 110 cars worldwide. That'll set you back €4,800, but each car will be finished by hand at Alpine's factory in Dieppe.
Alpine Managing Director Patrick Marinoff comments: "With Alpine now firmly reestablished as a highly-regarded sports car manufacturer, the time is right to offer a wider range of personalisation options to our customers. We had a responsibility to relaunch Alpine with patience and care, taking one step at a time, while drawing on the most iconic elements of the brand. Atelier Alpine marks the arrival of a new chapter. In a respectful nod to our past, many of the newly available colours are reformulated Alpine colours of old, in many cases from the very same suppliers. However, our paint specialists worked meticulously to recreate these tones using the latest ingredients and painting methods. As a result of Atelier Alpine's new personalisation options, we are sure to see plenty of unique A110s leave the production line in Dieppe. In particular, I am looking forward to seeing a real variety of Alpines heading off to customers, from very bold and striking creations to subtler, more demure cars."
Well, it'll make a change from default dark blue, anyway...