Alpine Uses Carbon Fiber to Make A110 R Somehow Even Lighter

The Alpine A110, a car whose styling one of my coworkers once said “makes them want to die,” keeps getting better. This week we’ve received what could very well be the apex of the A110 line — the A110 R. The “R” does not stand for racing, however, even though that’s something A110 has always done quite well. Alpine will have you know it actually stands for “radical.”

Here’s what’s radical about the A110 R: Alpine shed 74 pounds from the curb weight of the A110 S, and it’s not like that wasn’t already a really light car. The R, therefore, tips the scales at just 2,385 pounds. That’s roughly 130 pounds lighter than a Fiat 500 Abarth, a hot hatch that can fit inside most refrigerators.

Now, the A110 R has no more than the 300 horsepower available in the A110 S, but it doesn’t need more — sacrilegious though that may sound to some. The weight savings allow the coupe to rocket to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds when launch control is used, shaving three tenths off the A110 S’ time.

You can see the A110 R’s diet in the details. The hood, now made of carbon fiber, has functional dual air intakes. The rear window is gone, replaced with yet more carbon fiber. The wheels are made of the very same stuff, and those on the rear axle actually sport a slightly unique design compared to the fronts, with a flatter face ostensibly to reduce drag. The pairing looks excellent, and the front set especially reminds me of classic Speedline tarmac rally rims.

Further optimizations have been lavished on the chassis. The A110 R offers improved brake cooling and rides lower and harder, with lots of leeway for adjustability because that’s what it means to be radical. From Alpine’s press release:

Adjustments and custom-made features on the All-new Alpine A110 R chassis are game changers, imbuing the car with unprecedented performance on the racetrack. The clearance has been lowered by 10mm compared to the A110 S. The adjustable shock absorbers mean it can be lowered a further 10mm for an ultimate on-track experience. The stiffness of the unique anti-cant bars has been increased 10% in the front and 25% in the rear compared to the A110 S. The same can be said for the sus- pension springs that are more than 10% stiffer in the front and rear for far greater body support. Specially designed shock absorbers feature hydraulic adjustment for a personalised driving experience. A 20-click ring can be used to adjust the compression/expansion ratio, meaning car enthusiasts can really get the most out of their circuit driving sessions.

Inside, Alpine claims the A110 R’s cabin is trimmed for racing. Everyone says that, of course, but the A110 R backs it up with six-point Sabelt seats made from — you guessed it — carbon fiber, lots of Alcantara-like microfiber and some flashes of the exterior body color. It all looks great, yet not as unwelcome as an actual race car’s interior would be.

So when can you get one? Well, unless you’re reading this in a part of the world that gets good cars, of course you can’t. As for everyone else, Alpine hasn’t shared availability or pricing yet. The base A110 costs the equivalent of $57,000 in the U.K. for what it’s worth, and goes all the way up to $80,000 for the current range-topping model, the GT J. Rédélé Limited Edition. He was the founder of Alpine, you know. I think he’d be pretty impressed by the A110 R.