2018 Alpine A110 Premiere Edition

The Alpine A110 will likely go down as one of the most memorable sports cars launches in 2017. It marks a return from the ashes for the Alpine brand and it finally came after three years of being in development. Needless to say, a lot of people looked forward to the A110’s debut, and by and large, it didn’t disappoint. And if the positive reception surrounding the sports car isn’t enough, all of us can now look forward to the first special edition version of the A110. It’s called the A110 Premiere Edition, and it’s all set to be revealed at the Salon Price later this month.

As you can expect, the A110 Premiere Edition will come with exclusive features that “standard” versions of the sports car will come without. Most of these upgrades are of the cosmetic variety so don’t expect any power bumps to happen to the car’s 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It’s still going to produce 252 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, numbers that are actually impressive for a sports car with a four-cylinder engine. What you can expect though is that the A110 will be limited to just 1,955 units, the number that references the year Alpine was founded.

Continue after the jump to read more about the Alpine A110 Premiere Edition.

2018 Alpine A110 Premiere Edition

Specifications

Make: Array
Model: 2018 Alpine A110 Premiere Edition
Engine/Motor: inline-4
Horsepower: 252
Torque: 236
[do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

Alpine A110 must prove itself against the competition

Truth be told, there’s really very little about the Alpine A110 Premiere Edition that qualifies as exclusive features. Granted, the full details about the first release sports car have not yet been revealed and I suspect that Alpine has more to offer in the way of features than what’s already been announced.

For now, what we know about the A110 Premiere Edition is that it will carry three different color options – Alpine Blue, Noir Profond, and Blanc Solaire – in addition to receiving a new set of 18-inch forged alloy wheels in a matte black finish. That’s happening in the exterior of the car. The interior, meanwhile, will feature fine leather upholstered Sabelt seats, which themselves weigh just 28.9 pounds per piece, half the weight of other bucket seats in the market. Matte carbon fiber accents will also be present on the A110 Premiere Edition, as will “tri-color” red, white, and blue badges representing the three colors of the French flag, a Focal audio system, and numbered plaques to denote the specific number of the model among the 1,955 units that Alpine plans to release.

Here’s another bit of good news about the A110 Premiere Edition: Alpine is not deviating away from the styling characteristics of the A110, which itself is regarded as the most enduring feature of the sports car. The front section, in particular, will still carry the four-headlight configuration in the Premiere Edition, with all four headlamps featuring full LED technology. The interior is likewise similar in the limited edition first wave models save for the mentioned upgrades. The layout will be the same and the generous use of carbon fiber allows the cabin to carry a distinctively premium feel to it that’s up to the standards of the sports car segment it’s going to be a part of.

As I mentioned, the A110 Premiere Edition is unlikely to carry any performance improvements from its 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The powertrain train is still good enough though to produce 252 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, enough to help it accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds on its way to hitting a top speed of 155 mph.

Unfortunately, none of the 1,955 units of the A110 Premiere Edition will head to the U.S. There are some channels to go through to get one on our shores, but it’s likely going to have to be through aftermarket ways. Doing that likely means customers here will have to pay significantly more than the $66,630 Alpine is asking for the car.

The Alpine A110 Premiere Edition has competition from all types of sports car rivals

While the timetable for these other models are different – some have already been released, for example – there’s no denying that releasing special edition models have become a familiar tool for automakers to curry great interest in their sports car offerings. Even Alpine’s expected rivals have done the same in the past, as you can see below.

Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition

Regarded as one of the most direct rivals of the Alpine A110, the Alfa Romeo 4C made its own “long-awaited” debut in 2014 after years of being in development. Before the model hit the scene though, Alfa Romeo released the 4C Launch Edition.

Like the A110 Premiere Edition, the 4C Launch Edition featured a number of exterior colors, specifically Alfa Red and Carrara White. It also came with a carbon fiber aerodynamic body kit made up of a front and rear spoilers, side mirror covers, and a rear aluminum diffuser with a dark finish. On the cosmetic end, the 4C Launch Edition came with bi-LED headlights with dark surround and a new set of 18- and 19-inch wheels in the front and rear, respectively. Step inside the car and among the upgrades Alfa Romeo gave to the sports car include Alcantara-dressed sports seats, and red stitching on the steering wheel trim, handbrake, mats, handles and sports seats for those customers who opted for the Alfa Red exterior paint finish.

There are other rivals to the A110 that may not have released first-wave special edition models but are still fans of the SE market. There’s more than a handful of them, too, and you can check them out below.

Read our full review on the Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition.

Audi TT Lighting Style Edition

The Audi TT is a clear-cut competitor to the Alpine A110 and Audi has given it a steady diet of SE models. One, in particular, was released just last month and was called the TT Lighting Style Edition. It’s only limited to the Japanese market, which again makes it difficult for us here in the U.S. to get our hands on one. Notwithstanding, the TT Lighting Style Edition was dressed in a variety of color options ranging from Glacier White Metallic, Mythos Black Metallic, Scuba Blue Metallic, Tango Red Metallic, or Vegas Yellow. It also came with a black front grille, a platinum gray rear diffuser, and new front and rear bumpers. LED headlights also featured as standard equipment on the special edition TT, as did the set of 18-inch aluminum wheels.

From here, let’s move on to the actual car that serves as the most real and legitimate contender for the Alpine A110. It’s even said that Renault and Alpine actually looked into this car as a measuring stick of sorts when it was developing the A110.

Read our full review on the Audi TT Lighting Style Edition.

Porsche 718 Cayman

It has to be the Porsche, right? It always has to be. If the Alpine A110 wants to really make a mark in its segment, it’s going to have to deal with the Porsche 718 Cayman, considered as one of the most popular sports cars, not just in its class, but everywhere. That kind of respect was earned after years of being a trendsetter and the new 718 Cayman only adds to the model’s enduring legacy.

Suffice to say, the A110 has its hands full against the 718 Cayman. The two may fight to a draw on the aesthetic front (let’s all agree that both sports cars look like proper performance machines) but the Porsche immediately has the upper hand on the power front. That’s because it carries a bigger 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque – head and shoulders above the Alpine A110. More to that, there’s also a more powerful version of the Cayman in the form of the “S” variant, which features an even bigger 2.5-liter flat-four mill that packs 350 ponies and 309 pound-feet of torque.

All that and we still haven’t brought up the fact that it’s a Porsche, considered by many to be one of the most prestigious automakers in the world today. It’s an uphill climb for Alpine and its A110 with regards to competing against an established titan like Porsche.

Read our full review on the Porsche 718 Cayman.

But as far as the A110 is considered, proving itself to be as good, if not better than the establishment is part of the journey it must make in order for it to fulfill its true potential. Whether it’s against Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Audi, or any of the other automakers out there with their own sports cars, the Alpine A110 won’t get the respect it’s looking unless it proves itself against its rivals.

We’ll get our first taste of what the A110 is all about when the Premiere Edition hits dealerships next year. From there, well, let’s get ready to rumble.