Alpine A110 Racer Will Zoom Up Pikes Peak With Extreme Aero and 500 HP
With Alpine planning a possible entry to the U.S. market, this car could be a very potent marketing tool.
The Alpine A110 isn't sold in the United States, which is a shame. The 2,400-pound two-seater built by Renault is one of the few somewhat affordable, pure combustion-engined sports cars left. One example will be making it stateside, though. You can't buy it, it's far from stock, but it will be racing up Pikes Peak in 2023. The aptly named A110 Pikes Peak makes "nearly 500" horsepower from its tiny 1.8-liter engine and has aero more like a Formula 1 car than anything else. Alpine says it aims to break records when it hits the mountain in June.
Technical details of the A110 Pikes Peak are light, but we do know the car has shed more than 300 pounds versus stock. The lightened Alpine now weighs roughly 2,094 pounds, which is not a lot for around 500 horsepower to move around. It's also sprouted a roof scoop, which the automaker says helps stuff air into the engine. Frankly, I wouldn't care if the roof scoop did anything—it looks sick.
Many of the changes are aerodynamic and visual in nature. Particular attention is paid to the car's lighting. The front headlights and foglights have been replaced with slivers of LEDs, and the rear taillights are disabled in favor of the three vertical strips you see above. The brand says this is a nod to similar-looking cars that race at Le Mans.
Alpine's parent Renault likely sees Pikes Peak as a strong marketing opportunity. It's a little ironic, though, because while the brand has publicly stated it's very interested in the U.S. market, its flagship A110 is not a part of that plan. The automaker, like many others, is interested in North America as a place to sell—and God forgive me for saying this—electric crossovers. Two vehicles, roughly analogous to Porsche's Macan and Cayenne, could arrive on our shores by 2027.
The A110 Pikes Peak is currently being tested in the south of France ahead of its journey to Colorado Springs closer to the Hillclimb on June 25. We hope to hear more about it between now and then.
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