The Renault Alpine A 110-50
Over the past fortnight or so, a strange and alluring series of pictures started appearing around the web. The pictures showed a car unlike any other, a glittering spectacle of aqua and electric blue - a regular Smörgåsbord of candy-pop colours and charisma, looking like it had just driven out of the latest Japanese rally car video game, via a 1000 inch 3DHD plasma screen TV.
This thoroughly stylised concept car turned out to be the Renault Alpine A 110-50, a not-so-subtle homage to the much-loved and idolised A110 model. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the A110, Renault have unleashed a concept car that looks more fiction than fact; an irrefutable beast in the vehicular world.
In recent years Renault have fallen on hard times; not financially per se, more in terms of 'street cred'. The vehicles produced by Renault lately have sometimes been described as 'dull' or 'bland'. A lot of people wish the Renault design team would go all out, treat the fans to a little of that old-fashioned spirit. Finally, they have.
The devastatingly attractive Alpine A 110-50 is a step towards reinvigorating the brand; it's a much-needed breath of fresh air for the company - one which will hopefully see the production of more exciting cars, vehicles which embrace modernism and sport a sense of hyper-realism. They don't have to manufacture a range of cell-shaded cars, but a little bit of character and courage would go far.
The bodywork on the Alpine A 110-50 is all carbon fibre, the interior is inspired by competition cars and has a cockpit filled to the brim with racing equipment and hi-tech gear. It's obvious how much of an influence the A110 has had on the A 110-50, its racing roots really show. Despite the over-the-top appearance and exaggerated curves, the new Alpine concept really does have heart.
Performance-wise, the A 110-50 is a keeper; a 3.5 litre V6 engine with 24-valve 400 horsepower is more than enough to keep anybody happy. The mid-rear positioned engine has had an internal work over, for improved reliability and performance. The sheer quality of the engine (and the vehicle itself) is visible in any one of the videos around the web - look one up and listen to that gorgeous purr.
We hope that you're excited to see more of the A 110-50 as we are? Maybe if we cross our fingers hard enough they will release it to the general public and place it on sale; no point wasting such a beautiful machine, letting it live out its life in the pandemonium of concept car hell.
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All images courtesy of: Renault
Written by Jake Higginson.