GTP Cool Wall: 2017+ Alpine A110

[Wiegert]

2017+ Alpine A110 nominated by @All Your Base

Body Style: 2-door coupe
Engine: 1.8L twin-turbo I4
Power: 249 hp
Torque: 236 ft-lbs
Weight: 1080 kg
Transmission: 7-speed dual clutch automatic
Drivetrain: Mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Additional Information:
The Alpine A110 is a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car introduced by French car manufacturer Alpine at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show in March 2017. Deliveries are expected to begin in late 2017 for Continental European markets, and in 2018 for the UK and Japan. Both in name and design, the new A110 harks back to the original Alpine A110 produced from 1961 to 1977.

Based on an all-aluminium construction, the A110 is powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged 16-valve inline-four engine mated to 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Developed by Renault-Nissan and reworked by Alpine engineers, the engine has an output of 249 hp (185 kW) and 236 ft-lb (320 Nm) of torque. According to Alpine, the A110 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 4.5 seconds, and has an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).​

Spoiler: Additional Pics

 

[Turbo]

Nowhere near as cool as the original.

 

[Parker]

No manual transmission!?! Seriously uncool.

 

[Michelin Man]

Well, Alpine are back, so that's a mark up there, plus it's great to see the A110 nameplate back. In short, it's a lightweight, very quick MR sports car designed to go toe-to-toe with something like a Porsche Cayman, and it's a better choice than the Cayman in my own opinion.

And on the style front, in manages to stay relatively true(ish) to the originals philosophy, but in a more modern design without being too "retro", so a solid cool it is.

 

[SagarisGTB]

No manual transmission!?! Seriously uncool.

I don't usually care too much about a lack of manual in modern cars, but Alpine went out of their way to make this car as engaging as possible on real roads through light weight construction and skinny tires, but then undid their work by not offering probably the most important element of an engaging real world roads car in a good manual transmission. That lack of extra involvement, when the car is so otherwise clearly built in that direction, ruins the appeal of the car for me.

 

[05XR8]

It's a cool retro themed car.

 

[Roger the Horse]

The original with which it inexplicably shares a name is infinitely cooler, but this is still probably the coolest new car I've seen in years.

It evokes the original without copying it, instead looking exactly what one would expect a modern Alpine to look like if the brand hadn't disappeared for two decades. And Alpine were always the coolest brand.

 

[UltimateYosh]

Infinitely cooler than the Cayman. Nowhere near as cool as the original.


Cool.

 

[Razor440]

Uncool...but why?
It's not being sold in America.
Otherwise, this would have deserved a cool.

 

[Adamgp]

I'd rather have a Cayman.

Meh.

 

[AudiMan2011]

Like the problem the '05 Ford GT has, the remake of the A110 just isn't as cool as the original.

Meh.

 

[Turbo]

Uncool...but why?
It's not being sold in America.

As much as we all wish it reached the states, I can understand why Renault never brought it across the pond. Other than car enthusiasts, Americans have likely never heard of the Renault brand, let alone Alpine. It would take a lot of work to develop a whole new brand and image, in a new market.

 

[Tyger]

Very Cool, borderline SZ but no manual option (I'm assuming it's fully auto, not semi?). I also think they could have followed the traditional nomenclature though, as several Alpines have over the years, instead of naming it after the A110.

 

[LivingWithGames]

The no manual option and the fact is not as good as it was back then, kills the SZ vote, but I'll let it earn the Cool vote. Not too shabby, Alpine.

 

[Northstar]

It has paddles, so there is some form of manual transmission, just not the traditional stick shift.

 

[edawg456]

A very solid cool. I do like the styling myself.

 

[TexRex]

Retro money-grab, albeit a well-engineered one. SU. If they'd called it something else, perhaps A510 as a logical step from the A310, I'd likely rate it a step up based on the lack of a proper manual and no US market share.

 

[ScottPuss20]

This is one unique sports car. It's styling is very good, definitely looks like a modern version of the original classic. The spec sheet is very credible, which is nice too. Cool.

 

[SVX]

As much as we all wish it reached the states, I can understand why Renault never brought it across the pond. Other than car enthusiasts, Americans have likely never heard of the Renault brand, let alone Alpine. It would take a lot of work to develop a whole new brand and image, in a new market.

This isn't an extremely mass-produced cheap sports car. It's aimed at enthusiasts, and as far as I know - you go into a waiting list to buy one rather than just popping into your nearest dealership and coming out with one.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

This isn't an extremely mass-produced cheap sports car. It's aimed at enthusiasts, and as far as I know - you go into a waiting list to buy one rather than just popping into your nearest dealership and coming out with one.

And Renault has sold cars in the U.S. before, if Alfa and Fiat can come back to the U.S. and sell cars again then I don't see why Renault with Alpine would be difficult. I mean Fiat has Abarth badged vehicles being sold in the U.S. just fine, it wouldn't be all that hard for Renault to do something similar with Alpine.

 

[Tornado]

Look, an actually-cool car.

And Renault has sold cars in the U.S. before, if Alfa and Fiat can come back to the U.S. and sell cars again then I don't see why Renault with Alpine would be difficult. I mean Fiat has Abarth badged vehicles being sold in the U.S. just fine, it wouldn't be all that hard for Renault to do something similar with Alpine.

There is a bit of a difference, though. Fiat basically bought their way into the American market before they actually debuted anything and immediately set about designing new American market cars that used Fiat powertrains and platforms; and you can go to your nearest dealership and maybe get any somewhat desperate Chrysler sales manager to order you a 500 or 124 (and probably even have it serviced there as well).



Maybe you could similarly pop into any high volume Nissan dealership to buy a new A110, but is it similar enough to anything they sell where they could work on it?

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

There is a bit of a difference, though. Fiat basically bought their way into the American market before they actually debuted anything and immediately set about designing new American market cars that used Fiat powertrains and platforms, and you can go to your nearest dealership and probably get your somewhat desperate Chrysler sales manager to order you a 500 or 124 (and possibly even serviced).



Maybe you could similarly pop into any high volume Nissan dealership to buy a new A110, but could they work on it?

That's what I was going to suggest next then, since there is the Nissan-Renault link. I'd have to imagine if they're the same mechanics they should be able to.

 

[Tornado]

That's my point, though. Fiat also unleashed the 500's powertrain on hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting owners between the Dart and the Renegade. You take your 500 to a Dodge dealer and they are probably adequately prepared for whatever horrors may be lurking within even if they aren't an official Fiat service department. In 15 years Renault has never bothered integrating themselves into Nissan's operations in America as closely as Fiat already has on Chrysler, and looking it up the closest anything the A110 has to a US market analog is the Nissan Juke. That's not a small thing to overlook when Renault's exit from the US market was much "louder" than Fiat's was, and they would have to tread carefully to avoid being saddled with the same reputation they had when they left. That's probably why they haven't bothered.




On that note:

Other than car enthusiasts, Americans have likely never heard of the Renault brand, let alone Alpine. It would take a lot of work to develop a whole new brand and image, in a new market.

You do realize that Renault did exactly what Fiat is doing with Chrysler now in the 1980s, right?

 

[TenEightyOne]

Unlikely-looking lovechild of a Boxter and a Megane. Should be cooler than it is. Meh.

 

[Cano]

Solid, very solid cool. But it doesn't deserve the name.

 

[Turbo]

And Renault has sold cars in the U.S. before, if Alfa and Fiat can come back to the U.S. and sell cars again then I don't see why Renault with Alpine would be difficult. I mean Fiat has Abarth badged vehicles being sold in the U.S. just fine, it wouldn't be all that hard for Renault to do something similar with Alpine.

Fiat and Alfa have an advantage over Renault at reentering the American market, and it's easy to see why. During Renault's stay in the American market, starting in the 50s, the brand was known for producing arguably the most unreliable and problematic pre-fuel crisis car in America (the Dauphine). This caused the brand to have a bad rap, and unsurprisingly, Renault departed the US shortly after the Dauphine fiasco. When they came back in the 80s, it wasn't much better; the two economy cars they were selling, Encore and Alliance, were nothing more than appalling, almost as bad as a Cadillac Cimarron. And then there was the comically stupid "Le Car", which failed due to it's gimmicky marketing campaigns and being too radically styled for the typical American consumer of the time. On the contrary, Fiat never messed up when they were present in the US market during the 60s and 70s; they were known for their cute and fun roadster, the 124.

 

[Northstar]

On the contrary, Fiat never messed up when they were present in the US market during the 60s and 70s; they were known for their cute and fun roadster, the 124.

There is a reason Fix It Again Tony is a saying. Fiat's during their prior time here were notorious for rust issues as well as poor overall reliability. Their saving grace was when they were actually running they were decent cars.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

I voted cool due to the manufacture name. I like saying Alpine and it's also one of the better modern-retro designed cars out there in my opinion.

 

[TenEightyOne]

And then there was the comically stupid "Le Car"

Not as stupidly named as Citroen's van available in white or in red. The Van Blanc and the Van Rouge. I kid you not.

 

[Tornado]

When they came back in the 80s, it wasn't much better; the two economy cars they were selling, Encore and Alliance, were nothing more than appalling, almost as bad as a Cadillac Cimarron. And then there was the comically stupid "Le Car", which failed due to it's gimmicky marketing campaigns and being too radically styled for the typical American consumer of the time.

You've definitely become an expert on Renault's 1980s endeavours in the 36 hours it took before you were made aware that they even existed.

Also:

the two economy cars they were selling, Encore and Alliance, were nothing more than appalling, almost as bad as a Cadillac Cimarron.

What does that even mean?

On the contrary, Fiat never messed up when they were present in the US market during the 60s and 70s; they were known for their cute and fun roadster, the 124.

Fiat and Lancia were practically chased out of the American market in the early 1980s, and Fiat again has already gone well on their way towards squabbling the goodwill the 500 managed to build up for them. Alfa Romeo was the only one that quietly left with a whimper.