Stop the presses – the A110 is coming to America! Well yes, but actually no. Before you rush over to the nonexistent Renault/Alpine dealer in the US, we should mention this two-piece giant wing to which the French sports car brand has attached its mid-engined coupe has been developed for the sole purpose of racing at Pikes Peak this year. It's touted as being the most radical A110 since the model's rebirth in 2017 courtesy of a crazy aero pack.
Alpine's first entry in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a joint effort with racing team Signatech to develop a bespoke A110 that will race to the clouds on June 25. The hardcore machine has already been tested at Lurcy-Lévis and will be subjected to two additional evaluations in southern France before heading to Colorado Springs for the challenging event. The route is 12.42 miles (19.93 kilometers) long and has no fewer than 156 turns. The departure takes place at 9,400 feet (2,865 meters) above sea level and the cars climb 4,720 feet (1,440 meters) to the 14,120-foot (4,303-meter) summit.
2023 Alpine A110 Pikes Peak
What's so special about the A110 Pikes Peak? Well, just look at it. Aside from the dual-piece wing, the bespoke race car has a prominent front splitter with large side deflectors while the central fin sits above a roof scoop that feeds air to the uprated engine. The aggressive diffuser is flanked by deflectors part of a greater aero kit that also includes a rear spoiler and redesigned side skirts.
Then there are the changes we can't see. Chief of which is the engine as it now pumps out nearly 500 horsepower (373 kW). In the road-going version, the turbocharged 1.8-liter gasoline unit shared with the Renault Megane RS produces as much as 296 hp (221 kW). Torque isn’t mentioned, but the street car offers a maximum of 251 pound-feet (340 Newton-meters) sent to the rear wheels.
Alpine has managed to remove even more weight from the A110 as the Pikes Peak version tips the scales at just 2,094 pounds (950 kilograms). It’s even lighter than the featherweight Mazda MX-5 990S special edition launched in Japan in late 2021 while having nearly three times the power.
If the Pikes Peak challenger has whetted your appetite for the A110, there is a glimmer of hope the Porsche Cayman rival will be offered in the United States. Parent company Renault is having discussions with auto dealer group AutoNation to sell the sports car in the US.
