Renault has big plans for Alpine
It would appear that Renault has rather big plans for their Alpine racing brand, they mean to have their sub-brand follow the example of another global automaker known for quality and fast machines: Porsche.
At least this is what the French carmakers Senior Vice President of Corporate Design said – Laurens van den Acker.
That’s a lofty goal, but there’s still a hill to climb in that respect because Renault still needs a sports car that can do something similar to what the 911 did for Porsche. Van den Acker himself said that they need to create an Alpine version of the 911, and then they can do a Panamera and Cayman.
For the time being, the initial plans for the Alpine imply building an entry-level sports car that is already in the pipeline. This car is set to launch in 2016 and is expected to carry certain styling cues from the classic A110 from back in the ‘60s but with an equally possible interpretation on the A110-50 Concept that they showed off last year.
There are no details known about the car however it is known that it will feature a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that produces somewhere in the region of 280 horsepower and will couple either with a six-speed manual transmission or a dual-clutch EDC automatic. The price is expected to revolve around the 50,000 British Pounds mark.
2012 Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept
The A110-50 Concept was unveiled during the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix, and it was designed to show off Renault’s general direction for the public.
The Concept looked incredibly great back then and it still looks fantastic today, mostly because of its elegant and flowing bodywork and its very cool blue paint is a great reinterpreting of the famous original ‘Alpine Blue’.
The Concept was powered by a 3.5-liter 24-valve V-6 engine mounted in a mid-rear position, delivering a total of 400 horsepower and is fitted with a semi-automatic six-speed sequential.
