F1 brand Alpine builds its last petrol-powered car… for now
The final second-generation Alpine A110 has rolled off the production line, ahead of the sports car’s transition to electric power.
After almost 10 years in production, the last petrol-powered Alpine A110 has been built, with the sports coupe soon becoming an EV.
Alpine announced the final second-generation A110 was built on July 1, the 28,701st examples to roll off the production line in Dieppe, France since the model was relaunched in 2017.
Across its production run, Alpine claims more than 58 per cent of the new A110s it made were finished in blue, with one-third being in the hero colour of Bleu Alpine. The last car to be made was an A110 R 70 in the Bleu Alpine hue.
Since production of the modern A110 started in 2017, the sports car has been powered by a turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, initially producing 215kW and 320Nm, though its circa-110kg kerb weight meant it had plenty of power for its size.
Unfortunately the A110 was pulled from sale in Australia towards the end of 2021, as it and a number of other vehicles – including the Nissan GT-R and Lexus IS – didn’t comply with new side-impact regulations.
Alpine is now gearing up to launch the next-generation A110, which will be an electric vehicle.
The new A110 will be underpinned by the new Alpine Performance Platform (APP), set to make its debut under the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, the latter of which utilises electric motors in the wheel hubs, rather than between the axles.
Though it’ll feature two electric motors, it’ll be solely rear-wheel drive, suggesting it could be quite a bit more powerful than its predecessor.
While Alpine is committed to turning the A110 into an EV, in March CEO Philippe Krief told media, including the UK’s Autocar, that the APP architecture was being primed for a petrol engine – though stopped short of announcing it’ll feature in the sports car.
“And before you ask, yes, the platform is designed to accommodate an internal combustion engine,” Krief said.
“The new A110 will be electric. The goal of Futuready [Renault Group’s future-looking plan] is to be prepared for the future, so we have developed the platform to receive an ICE (internal combustion engine).
“[That] doesn’t mean we’re going to do it [a petrol version],” he added, before saying Alpine needs to be ready for unexpected changes in legislation, such as Europe’s recent cancellation of banning engine-vehicle sales by 2035, and the US axing emissions penalties and limits.
“At the moment we focus on Europe. If having an ICE offers opportunities for Alpine in other markets then we can make it.”
Jordan Mulach
