Alpine A110S – A more focused and powerful version of the already amazing A110
A truly unique car in the age when technology and power are the main focus, the Alpine A110 gave us petrolheads a breath of fresh air by making a lightweight sports car that prioritized the enjoyment of driving rather than absolute performance. The car has been praised by numerous journalists, but with a car that drives this good, there was always a feeling that the car could be transformed with a little bump in horsepower. Well, Alpine has listened and delivered in spades.
Alpine themselves says that the A110S is a more focused sports car, but it is not about chasing tenths of lap times. The changes were to enhance high-speed stability and handling precision. Also, Renaults habit of releasing S, RS and Cup models, leads me to believe that there will be future updates of the A110. Something I have nothing against as long as the car is kept to Alpines core values, playful and fun to drive. But what is changed with the S version you ask. Just continue reading.
The major noticeable difference is the ride height, which has been lowered 4 mm. The springs are 50 percent stiffer and the anti-roll bars are 100 percent stiffer. One interesting detail of the anti-roll bars are that they are hollow which means that they are lighter compared to the original ones while still being stiffer. This will create a massively different driving characteristic and in reality change the entire feel of driving the car. The tires has been changed and are now wider (215 mm front and 245 mm rear) for increased grip, but Alpine has gone so far that even the rubber mixture is changed with the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 specially designed for the A110S.
Big Brembo brakes with 320 mm discs comes as standard and “Track mode” has been calibrated to be more precise while still being controllable, and if you want to you can now completely deactivate the ESC-system.
The engine has been tuned to produce an extra 40 hp, thanks to increased turbo pressure, with a total power output of 292 hp, but that does not tell everything. The way the power delivers throughout the power band is changed. Peak power is reached at 6400 rpm and the maximum torque is reached at 2000 rpm all the way to 6400 rpm. 0-100 km/h will be done in 4.4 seconds.
Apart from the lower ride height, the A110S is available in a special matt paint job and is accompanied with orange brake calipers. The roof can be done in carbon fiber and saves another 1.9 kg.
The interior gets quite an overhaul. Blue stitching is now orange. You get lightweight racing bucket seats which saves another 13.1 kg per seat, meaning 26.2 kg per pair. Other details are a leather steering wheel, aluminum pedals and a special carbon fiber and orange emblem.
The A110S is a serious upgrade compared to the standard A110. Every improvement wants me to buy this car. Speaking of which, the price, in France, is 66 500 Euros, where the Swedish prices are yet to be set. Unfortunately, this model will not be available in USA.
