We have heard about the revival of the Alpine brand since years ago, but troubles between Renault and Caterham had caused delays on the rebirth of this anticipated sports car. But finally Renault is making a great progress as we now have a better idea of how the car will look like via this stunning Vision concept.
Unveiled at an event in Monte Carlo ahead of its formal global debut at the Geneva Motor Show set to take place next month, it is safe to say that the production Alpine will not look far from this as it is not as wild as other Vision concepts. This mid-engine, two-seater model is expected to roll out from the production lines by the end of the year.
As for now, the final name has yet to be confirmed whether it will be called the AS1 or AS110, but Alpine has registered both monikers. For now Renault is doing a good job keeping the specs a secret, but it is no secret that the car will be powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine situated behind the driver.
As for rumours, word is saying that the engine is a development of the Clio RS’ 1.6-liter turbo, and possibly with a larger displacement to produce more than 197-horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. There is also a possibility that it will be paired to a dual clutch transmission with paddle shifters sending power to the rear wheels.
With an aim to make the car lightweight in the 1,000kg range, the Alpine is expected to do a zerotohundred in less than 4.5 seconds, matching the Alfa Romeo 4C, beating the Porsche Cayman GTS with Sport Chrono by 0.1 second, and sitting behind the Porsche Cayman GT4 by only 0.1 second.
“All of us at Alpine are proud to have been entrusted with the task of bringing back Alpine to sports car lovers around the world. Our job is to faithfully re-interpret famous Alpines of the past and project Alpine into the future with a beautifully designed, agile, high-performance sports car,” said Michael van der Sande, the Managing Director for Alpine.
