Alpine’s long-awaited and highly anticipated return to the auto world took a major leap forward today when the Renault-owned company officially opened reservations for the “Premier Edition,” a limited-run version of the upcoming sports car, which, by the way still goes by the codename “A120.” So yeah, the coupe still goes nameless yet Alpine is already prepared to give early birds the opportunity to have an early Christmas present. Ho, ho, ho, indeed!

The Premier Edition will be limited to just 1,955 units, an odd number on the surface yet a significant one for the French automaker as the original Alpine brand was founded by Jean Rédélé in 1955.

The company didn’t elaborate on the “exclusive appointments” featured in the Premier Edition, opting only to say that the special edition model will be available in a choice of three colors: Bleu Alpine (Blue), Noir Profond (Black), or Blanc Solaire’ (White). In addition, those who make reservations through the company’s bespoke app and make an initial payment of €2,000 ($2,110) will be afforded the opportunity to select their preferred model number, running from #1 to #1,955. The number they end up choosing will be commemorated by a plaque that Alpine will put on the car’s center console. That said, customers might want to make their reservations early because if their number of choice has been taken, they’re gonna be forced to take a different number. The #1 production model, after all, is far more appealing than, say, #516.

Unfortunately, us here in the U.S. can only watch from afar in envy because the Alpine Premier Edition will only be available to customers in Europe, specifically those from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. Two other markets – Japan and the U.K. – will also get their allotments of the Alpine Premiere Edition, although reservations for those countries will happen sometime in 2017. Those who are interested should expect to pay anywhere from €55,000 to €60,000 ($58,100 to $63,400) for the limited edition sports car.

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Why it matters

This is cool and weird at the same time. It’s cool because Alpine is driving up a lot of interest for the new sports car by giving customers a chance to own special edition versions of the car that come with “exclusive appointments.” Those features could go in a number of different directions, but the important thing is that each of the 1,955 units will be given a plaque to signify their specific number.

The strategy of offering a special edition “first batch” model is actually a tried-and-tested method within automotive circles. Mercedes, for instance, is famous for releasing “Edition 1” models, doing so for a bevy of its Mercedes and AMG models, ranging from the A-Class all the way up to the S-Class and the AMG GT. Likewise, Fiat (500 First Edition), Bentley (Bentayga First Edition; Mulsanne First Edition), Jaguar (F-Pace First Edition), and Volvo (XC90 First Edition) have all at various points offered similar special edition models too.

For one reason or another, these “first edition” models have been successful in generating buzz for the models that they’re previewing. For that reason, it’s hard to blame Alpine – or Renault for that matter – for taking this particular approach.

All that being said, am I the only one who finds it weird that Alpine’s already offering “Premier Edition” models for a sports car that doesn’t have an official name yet?

Read our full review on the upcoming Alpine "A120" here.