More power, better suspension and an 'S' is added.
By Zac Palmer, Autoblog
We're still salty about not getting the wondrous Alpine A110 mid-engine sports car
in America. Count us extra jealous today, though, because Alpine just
revealed a hotted-up A110S variant with more performance and new
styling.
The 1.8-liter four-cylinder gets a 40-horsepower boost
to 288. Torque remains the same at 236 pound-feet. Acceleration to 62
mph happens in just 4.4 seconds, which is one tenth of a second quicker
than before. The extra power comes from increased boost pressure, and
peak power is reached 400 rpm higher in the rev range at 6,400 rpm.
Power is still sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch
transmission.
Alpine lowered the car by a miniscule 4 millimeters, then gave it
50-percent stiffer springs and re-tuned the shocks accordingly. The
anti-roll bars are said to be twice as firm as the stocker. Better
handling is also sought with larger wheels and tires. The wider Michelin
Pilot
Sport 4s are 215-section-width in front and 245-section-width in back.
Brembo brakes that were optional equipment on the base car come as the
standard clampers on the 110S.
Our favorite part of the car —
its supremely low weight — hasn't been negatively affected, as the curb
weight of the 110S is a feather-light 2,456 pounds. Additionally, you
get a bunch of small appearance elements exclusive to the 110S that we
love, like orange brake calipers, orange stitching throughout the
interior, and weird little orange-accented flag emblems throughout. A
carbon fiber roof with a gloss finish is optional on the 110S, along
with lightweight Fuchs forged alloy wheels. Too bad all we can do is drool over the photos.
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