Alpine A110 set for sub-tonne, £200k final edition

Alpine is preparing to send the A110 out on a high note with a stripped-out, track-focused variant to rival the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS.

Developed with input from Alpine Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon, the climactic variant of the A110 is understood to be a strictly limited proposition priced well above the £90,000 A110 R.

 Reputable enthusiast publication Les Alpinistes reports that just 110 examples will be built, starting at €250,000 (£215,000). 

The sports car was previously spotted testing at the Nürburgring, revealing its significantly more aggressive aerodynamics package.

The A110 R-sourced rear spoiler is much more aggressively raked and its endplates have sprouted small winglets to boost downforce.

Below the spoiler is a new lip, presumably designed to aid stability at high speeds.

Up front, the new A110 wears a new set of canards and the bonnet gains a pair of deep nostrils above the radiator to provide better cooling for a more powerful engine.

Autocar understands the four-cylinder unit's output will be boosted from 296bhp to around 330bhp, and Les Alpinistes reports that it will put out 345bhp running on 102Ron race fuel.

Torque is expected to increase by nearly 50%, meanwhile, from 236lb ft to 332lb ft, which is said to necessitate a switch from the standard seven-speed automatic gearbox to the stronger six-cog unit from the final-edition Renault Mégane RS Ultime - Renaultsport’s final car. 

It's reported that a gearbox swap will require the A110’s engine bay to be redesigned, but it isn't confirmed how extensively the coupé’s structure has been revamped. 

Alpine is also targeting a kerb weight below 1000kg, giving the new A110 a similar power-to-weight ratio as the Cayman GT4 RS, rated at 348bhp per tonne.

Autocar understands Alpine’s ambition is to beat the GT4 RS’s Nürburgring lap time of 7min 4.51sec. In October, spy photographers clocked the A110 at 7min 18.77sec with Ocon behind the wheel, suggesting there’s still more for Dieppe to unlock.

The new variant is expected to be the final outing of the current A110 before it's retired to make way for the next-generation electric model, and it could wear the Ultime name to reflect this position.

A110 sales are set to be severely restricted over the next couple of years, due to the European Union’s new GSR2 safety standards. The current car doesn't comply with the standards, which will come into effect this July, but has been granted a two-year stay of execution on the condition that Alpine sells fewer than 1500 cars per year in the EU until the model is withdrawn from sale.

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.”