Alpine, the Renault subsidiary that produced sports cars under its own name until the 1970s and as Renaults into the mid-1990s, has been working on a comeback. A few years ago we saw a concept precursor, and now we get our first look at the real thing: the mid-engined A110 sports car.
The A110 resurrects the name of Alpine’s most famous model, a rear-engined sports car produced from the early 1960s to the mid ’70s that achieved considerable notoriety for its success in rally racing, including winning the World Rally Championship in 1973.
Characteristically, the French firm is being miserly with details—we should know more when the car makes its debut next week at the Geneva auto show—saying only that the two-seat sports car uses an aluminum-intensive architecture. We expect it to be powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder, a derivative of the engine used in Renault partner Nissan’s Juke NISMO. Making between 250 and 300 horsepower, it will be paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Although the French automaker has not sold cars in the United States since the days of the Renault Medallion in the late 1980s, there is a possibility that the A110 could find its way here, perhaps sold by Infiniti dealers. If so, it would compete against the Porsche 718 Cayman and the Alfa Romeo 4C—making even the Alfa seem like a mainstream choice by comparison.
from Car and Driver BlogCar and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/2meTOHO
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment