The return of Alpine

Sports cars used to be modest affairs like Triumph Spitfires and MG Midgets, little cars with humble power outputs in tune with the narrow roads and speed limits. The roads are the same, speed limits are the same, yet the modern sports car has evolved into a monster, with massive power and huge size, to the point where they are unusable. At last a sports car name from the past has had the sense to buck this trend, step forward the Alpine A110, a partly retro design, but a genuinely modern sports car for today. Are you listening Porsche?

Within the first 100 yards I am amazed at how it absorbs the bumpy tarmac leaving the dealership, and the first prod of the throttle reveals a swift turn of pace, but without savagery. This is a good start, and after an hour of motorways and twisty little back roads I think I may have driven one of the best sports cars of my motoring career. Alpine claim 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, so this is a fast car, but for once it’s not about the figures, it’s all about the feel. For starters it’s aluminium so it’s light, there is a modern turbo petrol 1.8 engine with that torque rich feel which makes pace come easily. The 7 speed auto box is a gem, with beautifully calibrated mappings, so you can cruise or scratch at the flick of a switch. I confess I’ve never liked paddle gearchanging, but I take to this like a duck to water. The steering is light, not overly talkative, but all four wheels feel totally keyed in to the surface. Michelin Pilots Sports I notice. Braking is strong, and the car brakes hard and deep into the corners without feeling nervous, a sure sign of a balanced chassis. Unlike its older brother the Renault Alpine GTA, which with its rear engine layout was tricky to drive, this new car feels instantly familiar, friendly and easy to drive. Don’t believe all that Porsche 911 codswallop about having to master a difficult car to prove yourself as a driver, it’s just an excuse for a flawed design. The A110 feels just right from the get go, and utterly trustworthy. It looks fabulous in the optional metallic white too. It’s a honey.  

It’s not perfect. Luggage space is laughable, I could live without the rather juvenile sports exhaust, brilliant though the fixed buckets seats are, you won’t need to be too broad in the beam, and rear visibility is poor. Although some switchgear is filched from lesser Renaults, it all works well, and build quality is admirable, with a very stiff feeling shell. Pricing seems a little ambitious perhaps, but as every car in the showroom is pre-sold and there is a 1 year waiting list, what do I know?

So what we have here is more than just an exceptionally good sports car, this is the early stages of a very welcome trend away from stupidly powerful and ostentatious cars to ones that are delicious, tactile and useable as fun transport, not just as male jewellery for the under-endowed. Buying a 200mph car the size of the Ark Royal may swell your ego, but let’s face it, you simply can’t use it these days. Having just ditched my own Porsche in favour of a VW Up GTI I feel justified in making this claim. I’m not alone either, a long standing Porsche devotee of my acquaintance has just sold his Boxster Spyder in favour of a Mazda MX5, and has found his pleasure in driving rejuvenated. James May and Gordon Murray have already taken delivery of their Alpines. Electric cars may be the supposed future, but those who are really in the know are already downsizing to cars like these, where feel and fun are more important than statistics and lap times. This little Alpine is a stunning return to form for the classic French marque, and more to the point it’s bang on message too. 

Zut Alors, as they say in France!

All words and photos copyright to John R Hunter

With thanks to Harry Cunningham at Alpine Glasgow