Think you’ve heard of the Alpine A110 before? Then you’d be right – parent company Renault has revived the name of its mid-engined sports car for the 21st century.
It certainly looks the part. With styling that harks back to the original but with plenty of modern twists, it’s one eye-catching sports coupe with compact proportions and bags of kerb appeal and French flair.
The biggest challenge this new Alpine faces comes in the form of the Porsche Cayman – one of the finest-driving two-door coupes you can get your hands on, powered by a range of turbocharged engines and almost-unrivalled performance and handling prowess.
Can the Alpine’s 1.8-litre turbocharged engine and lightweight body beat the Porsche at its own game now the German rival has lost its singing six-cylinder powertrain?
We took to the Welsh hills to put them to the test – you can watch the video at the top of the page to find out the verdict
Alpine A110 specs and details
- 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol
- Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox
- 252hp, 320Nm of torque
- 0-62mph in 4.5 secs, 155mph top speed
Porsche 718 Cayman specs and details
- Cayman – 2.0-litre turbo petrol, six-speed manual (5.1 secs 0-62mph) or seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic (4.9 secs 0-62mph), 300hp, 380Nm torque, 170mph
- Cayman S – 2.5-litre turbo petrol, manual (4.6 secs 0-62mph) or PDK (4.4 secs 0-62mph), 350hp, 420Nm, 177mph
- Cayman GTS – 2.5-litre turbo petrol, manual (4.6 secs 0-62mph) or PDK (4.3 secs 0-62mph), 365hp, 420Nm of torque, 180mph
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