Alpine A110 S Aero Pack | Test Drive

5 June 2023 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

There are fantastic cars able to go fast. Some do it better than others. Then there is the Alpine A110 S, which incredibly manages to awaken dormant sensations, even where we thought we understood what true driving pleasure really was. We took one with Aero Pack and brought it to the most beautiful road in the south of France. Warning: strong emotions.

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos Alessio Becker

OK, I’m in. Looking at it from this angle and with this particular light, I can confirm that the color is indeed orange and not red. They call it Orange Fire and it is to all intents and purposes a particular shade of orange that enhances its lines, in this case made even sharper by the contrast with the black carbon fiber, here in abundance on the roof and in two of the details that most evidently characterize the Aero Pack of the model of our test: the front splitter and the rear wing. I’ve heard that some have defined it excessive, even too flashy, but I prefer calling it an added value and not only for the aerodynamic commitment it brings into play, but because if you think about it, the current sports cars catalogue now essentially lacks models equipped with big wings. And then it helps to make the look of the little Frenchie less friendly, now more sulky than ever.

Alpine has thus updated its models, in perpetual evolution in the wake of the well-deserved success obtained with the introduction of an almost superlight weighing just over 1 ton and 100 kg, but which does not require an appointment with your physiotherapist, given you can get in and out without any difficulty, even with the exceptional Sabelt bucket seats, which can only be adjusted forwards and backwards, provided that you don’t have to set the height and at that point it will be enough to unscrew a couple of bolts in order to get the ideal position. Which is precisely one of the fundamental aspects of the experience with the A110, given that the perception is precisely that of being leaned on the asphalt, literally incorporated by a car body that seems sewn all over you. It’s just as I remembered it, even better, since the A110 S gains a few horsepower and reaches the 300 mark, leaving everything else almost unchanged, at least as we discovered during my test on the pre-update version.

Living with an Alpine is something feasible from every point of view. If you are not too jealous and you are not afraid of a few parking bumps, you can even use it every day. But the reality is that it’s hard to stay away from curves, because the small but exciting 4-cylinder turbo can’t wait to be unleashed, reminding us that driving pleasure is something that can never be replaced by pure power. Thus, with alpine passes still off-limits, the most logical destination is the one that seems to have been created for the cover of the issue you are leafing through right now: the Route de Gentelly. Traveling hundreds of kilometers for some photographs? Well yes, also because if our Alessio Becker takes care of his DSLR, it is my task to providentially empty the fuel tank in zero time.

We leave Nice behind the rear spoiler and head north, where one of the most engaging asphalt snakes in the south of France awaits us. I note with pleasure that the satellite navigator has been improved, at least at software level, in fact it doesn’t make us take wrong turns, not even once, leading us to our destination where the quintessence of driving pleasure is about to take shape. Gréolières, such a magical place, indisputable destination and background for some of the most Insta-friendly shots out there. A work carried out by centuries of erosion and atmospheric agents that have allowed human beings to carve out a winding road between sharp rocks that create an unparalleled artistic masterpiece. And the A110 S slips into the dark tunnels like a bullet, not yet fully exploiting its potential due to the tortuosity of the asphalt intestine in question.

This is one of those places that bewtiches you and manages to give shape to an indissoluble bond between man and machine. In Sport mode, without necessarily going to call up Track (traction control can still be deactivated at will), every change on the road surface is perceived. The chassis stiffens and so does the steering response, but the Alpine does not become an indomitable beast, but rather the representation of the ultimate sports car, one of those that are inexorably disappearing. The steering is precise and the gearshift paddles remain fixed to the column, thus offering better and more intuitive management of the 7-speed dual clutch gearbox. It’s just a pity that sometimes it happens to downshift the precise moment in which the big electronic brain thinks the same and you find yourself two gears down instead of one.

After traveling who knows how many times the most scenic stretch, conceding the now mature lines of the A110 S in favor of the camera, I continue beyond the Pas de Tout Vents and given the absence of snow I head up towards Gréolières-les-neiges, reaching an altitude of 1,800 meters. The road climbs to the top, but it’s anything but the most traditional mountain pass. Imagine a motorway with an almost perfect asphalt, a few hairpin bends and long, indeed very long straights where you really have the opportunity – with the road strictly closed to traffic – to put the mid-mounted 1.8 of the A110 S to the test. Exactly, a blast. After the first corner things get serious and I go full throttle, immediately realizing that beyond the 2,100/2,300 rpm threshold the Alpine pulls as if it had been launched from a giant slingshot.

Gear changes are very fast as I grip the Alcantara steering wheel to prevent the tires from reading too much the few bumps on the road below. The whiff of the turbocharger peeps into the passenger compartment when released, I shift two gears – or rather three – set the bend and, having reached the apex, put the gas down as if I were fleeing the end of the world. The car remains glued to the ground, hinting at a slight oversteer and redefining the concept of a car body pressed on tarmac. Just when you need it and in the dose that allows you, however, to have a margin of fun, since away from the curbs we are certainly not racing against the clock. The A110 S is pure pleasure: if I bought one I would only intervene on the exhaust system, clearing its throat a little and accentuating those crackling sounds that are a bit too artificial. This would also earn a couple of horses, but on the road, rest assured that 300 is the perfect number in this case.

The self-ventilated brakes with 320 mm discs seem tireless, also thanks to the reduced mass they carry with them, but if I had to identify the two key points of the Alpine experience, they would undoubtedly be its traction and the precision of the front axle in tight mixed sections. At the rear we have an electronic differential control system, accomplice of some drifts that you wouldn’t believe possible, given the seemingly infinite grip granted by a light frame (even if not in carbon fiber). While the dialogue between the steering wheel and the front axle is something that surprises me and that, although never particularly nervous, changes the feedback a lot compared to what I remember at the wheel of a standard A110, still an excellent performance weapon for the road.

Reaching speeds with two zeros takes no time at all, and doing it by rushing up a family of hairpin bends ready to raise your adrenaline level is all you would ask if you were confronted with one last wish before the electrification of the global car world. But today it doesn’t matter, because the Alpine A110 S manages to make you feel more alive than ever despite not giving up the comforts that also make it a valid grand tourer that isn’t afraid to grind kilometers on the motorway, perhaps to reach the hotel for the holidays, but even better along a winding road. There are two luggage compartments, one small (and hot) behind the engine and one in front, larger but shallow, in which to stow at least two soft bags. What you will take with you is undoubtedly a lot of fun and the memory of curves tackled with a knife between your teeth, thanks to a car so special that after being born on the memories of the rallying successes of its 70s ancestor it managed to earn a special place in the hearts of today’s enthusiasts.

I am lucky enough to drive countless exhilarating cars every year and while we are not talking about a thousand horsepower supercar with a six-figure price, trust me when I tell you that the A110 S is one of the best sports cars around. With a price tag starting at just over €70,000 and with running costs that are anything but prohibitive, it is the best answer you can give when asked why you need to travel hundreds of kilometers to take some pictures and write your driving impressions on paper. The answer may always sound the same, but actually we soon realize that the reason is something very personal, capable of enclosing emotions and sensations within a moment that develops from sunrise to sunset of a day that remains engraved in our soul, exactly as the wind and the rain have shaped the rocks of Gréolières, giving life to a natural work of art which today has embraced an engineering masterpiece designed for all those enthusiasts whose heart beats faster thanks to a roaring engine.