As its name implies, this captivating new Renault Alpine A110-50 concept car celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Alpine A110 but it's not just a retro throwback.
Its voluptuous styling embraces the new Renault design language that we first saw on the Dezir concept. It also gets us wondering - is Renault working on a road-going Alpine based on the Nissan 370Z platform? Santa, we've been good this year. Promise. This new Alpine concept is a product of Renault Sport Technologies' expertise and is dedicated to performance driving and enjoyment.
The low-slung GT car has scissor-motion doors, 21-inch wheels and a race-focused cockpit. Built on the tubular rear-wheel drive chassis of the Mégane Trophy race car, the Alpine concept has a near-perfect weight distribution, with 47.8 percent of the weight perched over the front wheels.
Like the Mégane Trophy, the Alpine is powered by a Nissan-sourced 3.5-litre mid-rear-mounted V6 engine that's good for 298kW at 7200rpm and 422Nm at 6200rpm. It's mated to a semi-automatic six-speed sequential gearbox that sits behind the engine and incorporates a limited-slip diff.
There are myriad mechanical settings available to the driver thanks to Wintax 4 software that can analyse more than 50 parameters from the engine, gearbox, steering and brakes.
Like the A110 that it harks back to, this modern Alpine concept is a true competition car in every respect. Renault's show car director Axel Breun sums it up perfectly:
“Developing this concept car was a great adventure. It was a catalyst for creativity. We wanted to make a Berlinette that was of our time, and which boldly embodies Renault's passion for motorsport.
“We were guided by our hearts and emotions.”