France’s answer to the Porsche Cayman will spawn its most hardcore derivative to date as Alpine is one day away from the launch of the A110 R. It will retain the turbocharged 1.8-liter petrol engine of the S, factory four-pot version inherited from the hot hatchback Renault Megane RS. Previous teasers revealed output will not change as the mid-engined coupe will pack the same 300 hp and 251 lb-ft (340 Nm).
Even so, it will be faster in terms of acceleration while having a higher top speed. Indeed, Alpine has revealed the A110 R will hit 177 mph (285 km/h) and the new teaser suggests getting there will take a few ticks earlier than before. While the S is advertised with a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in 4.2 seconds, the R will drop below the four-second mark. Published on social media, the short clip shows the spicy coupe on the dyno completing the sprint in 3.9 seconds. That makes it just half a second slower than the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS.
Renault’s performance arm Alpine also said the A110 R would be lighter, but without revealing how much fat its engineers were able to trim. Keep in mind that the A110 is one of the lightest sports cars money can buy, weighing in from 2,429 to 2,513 pounds (1,102 to 1,140 kilograms) depending on the level of equipment. It weighs roughly the same as the Mazda MX-5 Miata but with nearly 70 percent more power than the rear-seat-mounted engine.
It remains to be seen whether the R will represent an internal combustion engine epilogue ahead of 2025 when Alpine will transform into a pure EV marque. The A110 was electrified earlier in the year presenting a prototype 400 horsepower hybrid with all-wheel drive. A few months later, the Megane E-Tech powertrain was crammed inside for an all-electric prototype dubbed the A110 E-ternité. However, the two remained a one-off.
The indirect electric successor to the A110 will arrive in 2026 on a platform co-developed with Lotus. Until that happens, rival Porsche Cayman will also use EV-only from 2025 along with its Boxster sibling.
