Centenary of famous French endurance race honoured with 100-unit run of celebratory Alpine A110 R
Alpine has paid tribute to this weekend’s 100th staging of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a new 2023 Alpine A110 R Le Mans special-edition, limited to just 100 units.
Unveiled in conjunction with the French sports car brand’s announcement that it was preparing a new racer to compete in the LMDh Hypercar category from next year, Alpine said the A110 R Le Mans was inspired by its involvement in endurance racing which dates back to the 1960s and includes an outright Le Mans win in 1978.
The special-edition is painted in a white body with subtle blue accents, including a double stripe that runs the entire length of the body.
Other changes over the standard Alpine A110 R include a new rear boot lid with prominent rear fin that links the production car with the latest A480 racer.
Le Mans badging also appears on the front splitter, side sills and inside on the head restraints.
There’s even a laser engraving of the famous track’s outline on the sun visor, plus a build number plaque.
As standard, the special A110 R comes with a carbon-fibre roof, carbon wheels and ultra-lightweight Sabelt Track bucket seats.
Weighing in at just 1082kg – 34kg lighter than the A110 S – the aero tweaks mean the A110 R generates an extra 29kg of downforce at its 285km/h top speed.
The reduced weight and extra downforce are matched under the skin by 20-way adjustable shock absorbers, lowered springs and stiffer front and rear anti-roll bars.
Boosting its abilities further, the A110 R Le Mans also comes with the Road & Track chock that lowers and stiffens the car by five per cent for better stability on track.
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slick tyres and a Brembo high-performance braking system with 320mm composite discs at all four corners are all standard.
There’s no more power or torque, with the Renault Megane RS-sourced 1.8-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder still pegged at 224kW/340Nm.
Like any other A110, drive is transferred to the rear axle by a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and distributed between the wheels via a limited-slip differential.
Unsurprisingly the 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.9 seconds is identical the regular A110 R.
Available to order in Europe from June 8, the Alpine A110 R Le Mans doesn’t come cheap, with pricing kicking off at a hefty €140,000 ($A225,000) – not that any are likely to make it Down Under.
Like the rest of the Alpine A110 line-up, the little French Porsche Cayman alternative was culled due to new safety regulations that also saw the Nissan GT-R and a host of other models removed from sale.
According to Ateco Automotive, the French brand’s local distributor, Alpine won’t return to Australia until the new generation of all-electric models are launch in 2025, including the incoming GT-X SUV and, potentially, the peppy A290 hot hatch.
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Keyword: 2023 Alpine A110 R Le Mans special-edition rolled out