IS IT A GIGANTIC RED FERRARI OR A SMALL BLUE RENAULT?
I’ve always been a petrol-head, fascinated by cars since the very day I remember myself. Perhaps it’s the combination of power and design. Or maybe it’s just the Vrooooom sound they make (some of them, at least).
Who knows.
Nowhere is this passion more evident than in Geneva – a town not known for passion at all. This small Swiss city has banks, few branches of the United Nations, the world largest fountain and a whole lot of boredom.
All that changes during the first half of March when one of the world’s most flamboyant circuses come into town – The Geneva International Motor show. Held for the 87th time, the “Salon de l’automobile de Genève” is one of the world’s largest car shows, a magnet for car manufacturers of all sizes and their avid enthusiasts – like me.
I arrived there last week to witness first-hand the greatest, glitziest, most outrageous motor creations money can buy (and also because a late winter blizzard had destroyed my ski vacation and left me with nothing better to do…).
Back to Geneva
The Geneva Motor Show is the home-turf of the supercars, the hypercars and some vehicles that defy categorization altogether. The Geneva show is where the most exotic manufacturers come to premier their latest and wildest creations. This year Ferrari chose the show’s opening day to unveil the fabulous Ferrari 812. McLaren next door presented the shocking 720s, Porsche unveiled the new 911 GT3, Land Rover presented the all new Velar (Winning my own personal award for Best Interior), and Christian Von Koenigsegg presented the usual host of staggering one-offs (you can find the full list here).
Yet, despite the big names and exotic tag prices, none of them created the same excitement as one little French car from a humble origin and a name that has not been heard for about 30 years.
The return of Alpine
The 1980s have not been kind to French niche cars. Talbot, Matra, Simca and Alpine had all been killed during that decade. Alpine had been a particularly sad loss. The little sports cars from this petite French manufacturer have been making a name for themselves in the Rally Championships of the 70s. They were sleek, fast and incredibly agile. An icon of an area that disappeared when Renault took over and botched Alpine completely. I still remember investing weeks as a teenager constructing a plastic model of the most successful of all these Alpines – the remarkable A110
Now, however, Renault is making amends and has launched the most exciting and true to form recreation of any legendary sports name one can remember. Not surprisingly the small Alpine booth right next to Renault’s own grand showcase was jammed packed.
And with good reason.
Forward to the past
The 2017 Alpine – showcased last week – is everything motor-heads and car geeks around the world been wishing for. Light, nimble, mid-engined and affordable (well, at least relatively speaking).
Built with the latest technology, the beautifully-lined 2017 Alpine A110 is constructed around an all-Aluminum frame and equipped with a small-yet-powerful 1.8L turbocharged mid-mounted engine that produces a respectable 250hp. That might not sound that special given today’s standards, until you consider the Alpine’s weight.
Or actually – lack of it.
Tipping the scale at an incredible 1,080Kg, the Alpine weight to power ratio is about the same as a basic Porsche 911. With its mid-mounted engine it also has a better weight distribution than the BMW M4. Sitting inside the prototype (I had to elbow my way in through an annoying French journalist. Pardon) the interior fills solid though not opulent. And the whole package looks like it was built to last.
So much for humble background.
The downside with the A110 is that its Aluminum frame is hand-built. This likely means Renault is paying more than what it expect to receive for every one of the original 2,000 units run. First cars will be delivered to consumers around the end of this year. The Alpine A110 won’t be cheap too. Renault is targeting Porsche Boxter prices. This is not going to be a complete bargain.
Or would it?
These days petrol engines and the music they make are threatened and so is the sheer driving experience itself. A new breed of electric autonomous cars is aiming to turn our world quiet and sterile. Light, noisy and fun may soon be something relegated to distant memories. Until then, the raucous Renault is my star of Geneva.
