ALPINE CARS HAS GIVES ITS A110 A MAKEOVER FOR A PIKES PEAK SUMMIT ASSAULT - AND IT'S HOT!
Alpine Cars have been doing great things with their A110 sportscar, and to get more awareness on just how good it is, over and above the praise heaped on it by the world’s motoring press, the bespoke automaker announced it had secured an entry in one of the world's most iconic hill climbs, the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. With the world’s motoring and racing fanatics having their eyes glued to the live streams of the event, the automaker knew it had to do something special and what you see here is the result of all the race-prep and upgrades carried out to make sure the car performs as well as humanly (and mechanically) as possible. One of the coolest things about hillclimb cars has got to be the aero added to keep the cars planted on the tarmac of the 19.93 km race to the clouds, and the men in white coats at Alpine and colab partner Signatech look to have that part of the pace-prep locked down properly. The Alpine design office teams led by Raphaël Linari (design manager) and those of Signatech led by Lionel Chevalier (technical director) and François Letort (project manager) have resulted in the most extreme A110 to date, possibly ever. This team of designers fully embraced their choice of extremes, demonstration and visual impact while maintaining some of the car’s original proportions to ensure the car is eligible to compete in the Time Attack 1 category, depicted in the inclusion of a 'Le Mans-style' shark fin on the rear window that literally cuts through the massive rear wing.
Among the most impressive features are the splitters, deflectors, spoilers and wings, as well as reworked side skirts and diffusers. A new inlet appears on the roof to help direct air into the engine, and other parts have been given a diet or been removed completely to give the Pikes Peak Alpine a weight of just 950 kg - that’s nice and light. It’s especially good when this version of the A110 is packing a cool 500 hp. The lights are now thin laser-cut bars instead of the wide-eyed round ones on the street car, and the light functions of the rear lights have been shifted into three vertical segments on the side rails and central ridge - a nod to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We’re super keen to see how the car fares up the iconic hill, and if it does perform like it’s on steroids, we’ll being you that info because its what we do.
"The A110 Pikes Peak brings out the wildest side of this iconic car. It is agile and light by design, but with its specific aerodynamics and extreme proportions, it has become a genuine racing beast. This legendary event was an endless source of inspiration to push our creativity and enhance the A110 while integrating the constraints associated with performance. This project was completed in a decidedly short timeframe, thanks to the close collaboration with Signatech's technical teams. We look forward to seeing our creation challenge the American powerhouses on their home turf. I want to thank Jun Okazaki and Victor Sfiazof, the two designers who worked with me on the design of this car. Not to mention the great collaboration with the Signatech team, who are as skilled as they are passionate." - Raphaël Linari, Alpine Chief Designer
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off a different special edition of the new Alpine A110, the San Remo edition. It does a good job showing off the stylish car and also sets the stage for what a full race-prepped version could be like. Of course, we'd love to see this incarnation of the car in action, but for that we're going to have to wait for the content to come out showing the race prep and practice for the event - and that's going to be something quite special, we're sure of that: A110 San Remo 73 | Alpine
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