One-of-32 Alpine A110 R Alonso Edition for sale
Fernando doesn't hand out his setups to anybody, but he did give 32 A110 R owners a sneak peak
You know you’ve made it as a racing driver when a manufacturer names a car after you. Well, that and all the trophies. Just think of the Johnny Cecotto and Roberto Ravaglia edition BMW M3s, the Tommi Makinen Mitsubishi Evos and the countless specials Lotus has produced to honour the great Jim Clark just to name a few.
Then there are the cars where a racing legend has played a part in its development, even if their name hasn’t been slapped on the boot lid. We’re all familiar with Ayrton Senna’s input on the original Honda NSX of course, while Michael Schumacher had a hand in developing the Ferrari Enzo (the seven-time Formula 1 champion would get his own special Fiat Seicento and Stilo, but the less said about those the better). This Alpine A110 R Fernando Alonso Edition, however, combines the best of both worlds, wearing the name of the two-time F1 champion and a bespoke setup developed by the man himself.
The story behind the Fernando Alonso Edition is a bit of an awkward one. See, when Alpine unveiled its track-focused A110 at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, only one of its drivers, Esteban Ocon, was present for the car’s reveal. That’s because its star driver Alonso had announced three months prior that he’d be driving for Aston Martin the following season, and therefore had zero interest in attending media duties for a team he’d be leaving in just a few races time. So Alpine had a new variant of the A110 to show off with a special version named after a driver who was a) about to leave for a rival team and b) didn’t bother showing up for the car’s reveal. As such, there aren’t any pictures or videos (that we can find, anyway) of the ’05 and ’06 champ standing next to the car that bears his name, let alone driving it.
However, that shouldn’t take the sheen off what is, controversy aside, a properly cool F1 special. The big change was uprated dampers that could be manually lowered by 10mm, which in turn increased stiffness by 5 per cent, for a setup honed by Alonso around the Barcelona GP circuit. It was also packed with visual upgrades, some more subtle than others, like a matte black vinyl on the boot lid, orange brake callipers, Alonso’s yellow, orange and blue motif on the door inserts, and his signature on the dash and bonnet.
Some neat touches to what is otherwise a standard A110 R, which is to say you get the same 1.8-litre turbo four banger with 300hp as the non-Alonso model. Carbon wheels came as standard, as did the F1-derived matte paint, though the Alonso Edition does continue the blue hue onto the bonnet, whereas on the standard car it’s all glossy carbon. You also get the R’s racy Sabelt carbon bucket seats, albeit with Alonso’s signature embroidered into the headrests - a handy reminder that this ain’t no ordinary R.
It was a lot, lot rarer, too. Production was capped at 32 units, a nod to the Spaniard’s F1 win tally (and given he’s still in F1 some 20 years after his first title win, there’s hope that number may one day grow). As such, it’ll cost you more than a standard R, with this 530-mile car priced at £129,900. If you can’t be bothered to muck about with the dampers to unlock Alonso’s special setup, which Alpine advises for track use only, then you can save a few bob and nab this equally blue, equally carbon wheel’d A110 R for a £44k discount. Slap on some Alonso stickers and all but the 31 other owners will be none the wiser...
I’ll have this one. The £85k saved will pay for some tuning and lots of epic road trips…
https://www.pistonheads.com//buy/listing/18527434
I had a good look over one (at the Grand Designs show of all places) on display and the finish of them is exquisite. The carbon fibre on them makes them more akin to a supercar than something of such humble origins.
I'm looking at 718 GT4s at the moment and these just look so special for the money compared, it's just that humble four pot to get over...
I assume the original plan was to offer the set up out under celeb branding and with the power of 'limited edition' the shopper's catnip, get the 32 units shifted and then offer much of what was done out to everyone as just an add on package?
I like Alonso but the one thing he has made fundamentally clear for the last 20 years is that you don't plan any kind of business that is reliant upon him doing as said/agreed.
That said, are they really going to find 32 buyers of a car that has been designed to go fast by someone who hasn't gone fast for over a decade, is nothing to do with the brand etc? They might have to sell some of these without the mug premium so they could actually be a bargain for some folks?
You get a tuned Alpine 110.
They can keep them all, sell them when they supposedly raise in value.
. Let's just see whether limiting supply to just 32 will be enough to maintain values. The true benefit of this car has to be that of the halo effect and underpinning the values of the basic model?https://www.pistonheads.com//buy/listing/18527434
. Let's just see whether limiting supply to just 32 will be enough to maintain values. The true benefit of this car has to be that of the halo effect and underpinning the values of the basic model?I have looked at these recently an if I were to buy it would be an S with a remap and some Life110 parts.
But each to their own.
Also the gold background in the add is GVE it's a bit like the lake with is it Tom Hartley
Suppose the screen does get a plastic chrome bezel
Your Duster has Alpine spec parts. Just the same as my VW when I was 20 had the rear lights off an Aston. And right now, someone's grandad is cruising the mean streets of Leicester with Zonda heating controls in their Rover.
I suspect Willie is correct in that the base A110 is plenty and fits the ethos of lightweight sportscar perfectly. Tuning one up seems to be a waste as you still have the unexotic 4-pot from a Megane in the back.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff