Alpine has shown the lightest version of its A110 sports car, the Pure, and the higher-spec Légende at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, following their debuts at the Geneva motor show.
The Pure is priced from £46,905, while the Légende is priced from £50,805, meaning both sit in the price gap between the 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre versions of the Porsche 718 Cayman, which top out at £45,467 and start at £52,738 respectively.
The Pure (pictured in white) weighs just 1080kg, thanks to a pared-back specification that does away with unnecessary luxuries. Alpine says it retains the “minimalist approach” of the Première Édition but is more “driver-focused”. It has ditched heavier cabin materials in the Pure and used the lightest wheel option to minimise unsprung mass. Lightweight seats also form part of the diet.
Drive comes from the same turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, producing 249bhp and 236lb ft of torque, as used in the Première Édition. The power-to-weight ratio will therefore be the car's headline 231bhp per tonne – 9bhp per tonne more than the 2.5-litre 718 Cayman S.
The Légende (pictured in grey) is intended as a more refined A110 that's better suited to everyday driving. It receives leather seats in black or brown, a premium sound system and a more forgiving chassis set-up than the Pure. It too retains the 249bhp engine.
Join the debate
scrap
Want one so badly. Such a
Want one so badly. Such a great car, although Premiere spec seems pretty much perfect.
beechie
'paired-back'
stanleyipkiss
It will never sell.
It will never sell.
The original isn't selling. It's priced like a Cayman. Way way too expensive. Should have been in the MX-5 territory.
gagaga
stanleyipkiss wrote:
Not sure they could hit that level, but would have though mid £30ks rather than mid £40ks seems a better place for this to sit. I've money waiting at that level.
Having said that, audi are pricing a 1.5l A3 at £32k now...
yvesferrer
agree!
At mid-30s price, I would buy one in a flash and then die in another flash as soon as the present Mrs. F finds out...
Where would she put the shopping and the bags she 'needs' when we drive off for a few days?
I'll have to stop drooling; the kids are muttering things about Care Homes...
Marc
stanleyipkiss wrote:
What, never... at all. Not even a single one!
Rick Maverick
Sellers market
Opinion or fact?
First 18 months of Alpine production is SOLD-OUT.
TStag
This is a really hard market
This is a really hard market to enter. Porsche make great sportscars and have the brand, Jaguar provide a really good alternative in the F type and have plenty of history to play on. BMW can play on their strengths as a big premium brand. So you have 3 big players already fighting over a very small number of customers. Then you have niche players like Lotus.
Alpine should have gone much further upmarket into Mclaren territory. Even Mazda struggle to sell the MX5 in the volumes you really need to be sucessfull as these days the traditional sportscar market is tiny. It's a real shame and sadly will put companies like Jaguar off doing much more in this space.
scrap
But this is much closer to
But this is much closer to Alpine’s ethos - a small, light car, with enough power to be fun. It’s a brave and relevant car, will prove much more enjoyable on most roads than any supercar. Given the investment and dedication involved, it is not expensive. Mind you, if even Autocar readers (supposed enthusiasts) cannot see the value, it might struggle to make a wider impact.
xxxx
Lotus, elephant in the room
Elise Cup owners will want to know why it's so heavy! Joking aside and I'm sure it'll be a great sportscar but why are there never any references to the British made Lotus, it’s more of a direct competitor than the Cayman.
typos1 - Just can’t respect opinion
Pages
Add your comment