Alpine A110-50 (France, 2012)

The AlpineAlpineFrance, 1955 > 199414 models
219 photos
brand is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012 and Renault is celebrating the brand with a concept for a modern Alpine.

Exterior

Debuted in Monaco, the Alpine A110-50Renault Alpine A110-50France, 2012 > 20128 photos
2 videos
takes its styling direction from the Renault DezirRenault DeZirFrance, 2010 > present4 photos
concept car. Renault's senior designer, Laurens Van den Acker, reworked the front end to look more like the classic Alpine A110 including LED fog lights that evoke the original car. However, it keeps most of the Dezir's flowing bodywork. The A110-50 adds a rear window that makes the engine visible.

Aerodynamically, the A110-50 creates a large amount of downforce. It is equipped with a front splitter, rear diffuser and large Y-shaped rear wing. It also had to add more cooling not only for looks but because the A110-50 is significantly more powerful than the Dezir concept. The left air intake is for the engine, and the right is for gearbox cooling.

The car's actual chassis is identical to the Mégane TrophyRenault Mégane TrophyFrance, 2009 > present2 photos
race car with the same length and engine. Even the cockpit, cold air intake comes from the Mégane race car. It has been reworked slightly for the engine to sit lower in the chassis. For quick service while racing, the body has integral pneumatic jacks. 47.8% of the weight sits over the 21in front wheels.

“For everybody on the team, it was a dream come true to work on an Alpine concept car. We wanted to put this car firmly in the modern day, while resonating with its heritage,” said van den Acker.

Interior

The inside of the car is almost purely for racing with a full roll cage. The drivers seat has A110-50 embroidered on it and come with full racing harnesses. The dashboard is the modified unit from a Formula Renault 3.5 car.

Engine

Power for the car comes from 3.5l V6 with 400hp from the Mégane Trophy. The transmission is a six-speed sequential manual. The suspension is completely adjustable Sachs dampers, but the car does not have ABS or traction control. The brakes are 356mm in the front with six-piston calipers and 330mm in the rear with four-piston calipers.