As if we didn't already love the Alpine A110 enough, the French sports car brand (a sub-division of Renault) has just launched this; the Alpine A110 R.
Less weight, same power
As GT is to Porsche, so R is to Alpine. The A110 R is lighter, more focused, more slippery through the air, and if it doesn't have any more power than standard, well, it didn't really need much more.
The headline figure is not the 300hp pumped out by the 1.8-litre turbo four-cylinder mid-mounted engine - that's unchanged from the standard Alpine A110 S model. No, the really important number here is the kerb weight. Alpine claims that the A110 R is some 34kg lighter than the standard model, with a kerb weight of just 1,082kg.
A lot of this weight-saving has come from using carbon-fibre, both inside and outside the A110 R. The bonnet is now carbon-fibre, and weighs 2.9kg less all on its own. The wheels are carbon too, and save 12.5kg. Even the rear window is now carbon-fibre, and extends out into the rear deck of the car, while the carbon-shell seats, from race supplier Sabelt, not only look gorgeous but save another 5kg. Almost needless to say, they come with full six-point racing harnesses.
Alpine says that the A110 R has been through the same aerodynamic development as its F1 race cars, and that has seriously improved the car's downforce and drag. At the front, there's a carbon-fibre lip with air intake valves integrated into the front shield. Compared to the A110 S, that brings an extra 14kg of front downforce but also reduces wind resistance.
F1-style aero
At the rear, there's a new wider diffuser which really does work to suck air out from under the car, again improving downforce and reducing drag. The diffuser is so effective that Alpine has actually developed shrouds for the rear suspension to help smooth out the airflow at the back of the car as much as possible. Finally, up top, there's a 'swan-neck' rear spoiler that follows both F1 and Le Mans rear wing designs, and which can contribute up to 29kg of extra downforce at the A110 R's top speed.
There are some other neat tricks, such as new side skirts which aerodynamically link up the front and rear aero packages, and a 3D-printed exhaust with a double-wall that helps with cooling.
The A110 R sits 10mm closer to the tarmac than an A110 S thanks to new suspension, and it also gets hydraulically adjustable Sachs dampers which can drop it an extra 10mm again in 'Track' mode (a mode which also helps to cut drag overall). The springs are stiffer all-round by ten per cent over the S model, while the anti-roll bars are stiffer too.
Those carbon wheels (Oh. My. God. They are lovely...) are shod with semi-slick Michelin PS Cup 2 tyres, and behind the wheels are new 320mm Brembo composite brake discs which should feel like running into carbon-ceramic wall when you hit the stop pedal.
Faster to 100km/h. And louder.
In spite of no extra power from the turbo engine, the A110 R is faster to 100km/h than the S, by 0.3 seconds with a total time of 3.9 seconds if you use launch control. Top speed? 285km/h. There are three driving modes - Normal, Sport, and Track - with Track getting a faster gear change, controlled only via the steering wheel paddle shifters. This mode includes a specific ESC setting to push the car's limits when on a track. There is an 'ESC off' mode for expert drivers, if you're feeling especially brave or your surname is 'Arnoux.'
That dual-wall exhaust? Oh yes, it's not only better for cooling, it's better for noise too. Not least because Alpine has replaced the usual, heavy, glass divider between the engine bay and the cabin with a thinner aluminium item, and stripped out a lot of the sound deadening. Alpine also says that the car has a "completely overhauled interior soundscape." Can't wait to hear that...