Alpine can trace its roots back to motorsport in the 1960s and 70s but, in more recent times, it has been revived with a range of smart and sporty cars that bring the spirit of the past with a far more modern feel.
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Alpine’s long and fairly complicated history starts with a man called Jean Rédélé, whose father owned a Renault dealership in Dieppe, northern France – coincidentally where Alpines are still made to this day.
Rédélé loved motorsport, and a string of successes led him to set up his own company, Alpine, in 1955. It was backed by Renault and worked to create innovative but low-cost cars made from as many of Renault’s mass-market parts as possible.
In 1961 the famed (original) Alpine A110 was introduced and it soon became a motorsport icon in rallying. In 1973 Renault took a 70 per cent stake in the company to save it from collapse, while Alpine’s motorsport division was replaced by Renault Sport. The first era of Alpine came to an end in 1995 but two decades later it was revived – with the new A110 being unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show.
This would be the first Alpine officially sold in Britain as the firm had previously focused on its French home market, with the quirky but sporty A110 arriving in 2018. Various versions have followed, from purer versions through to the track-ready A110 R. Alpine has now committed to growth, with three EVs – a hot hatch, crossover-GT and electric replacement for the A110 – all confirmed.
More recently, Alpine has started turning to electric vehicles, introducing its A290 - a sportier take on Renault’s 5. As with the A110, the A290 is designed to offer plenty of driver involvement alongside its smart, retro-inspired looks.
The lightweight A110 benefits from a full traction control system, a suite of airbags and electronic stability control, which can be switched to allow different levels of assistance. Hill start assist is included, too. The A290, meanwhile, has adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assistance and extras such as blind spot monitoring and automatic wipers and lights.
As a result of the A110’s lightweight design, it isn’t as fuel-heavy as other sports cars. Alpine claims between 33 and 35mpg for this car. The A290 is the brand’s only other vehicle for now and it uses a completely electric powertrain.
When shopping used, Alpine A110 prices start from around £47,000 for a car with average mileage and good service history. This can rise to £70,000 for a more powerful ‘S’ model with a greater level of equipment. The A290, meanwhile, is still quite new, so not many have filtered through to the used market. When new, prices for the A290 start from around £33,000.
Yes - Alpine’s sole electrified model at the moment is the A290. It’s a sporty electric hatchback which is based on the same platform as the Renault 5, though it gets more power and a number of revisions to make it sharper to drive. It has a range of up to 236 miles, while a maximum charge speed of 100kW means that a 10 to 80 per cent top-up could be conducted in around 30 minutes.
Because Alpine’s models are still relatively new, there hasn’t been too much opportunity to test their reliability. However, since the petrol-powered A110 is backed by Renault engines and technology, it’s using a lot of tried-and-tested features which shouldn’t throw up too many issues. The A290, meanwhile, has only just been released but its electric powertrain means that there are fewer components to fail compared with a traditional petrol or diesel car.
The A110 is an out-and-out sports car, so on a used example, we’d be checking the tyres for even wear and to make sure that they’ve got enough tread left. You may want to test the brakes to ensure that they feel responsive and strong enough; though the A110 is lightweight, its brakes still get plenty of use. There’s a lot to take in when it comes to looking at a used car. It’s why an AA Vehicle Inspection could help, as we’ll send out a trained engineer to take a look at the car and highlight any issues they discover.
If you want a better insight into a car you’re looking at, then consider an AA Vehicle Inspection today. Check out your options via the AA Cars website.
Both of Alpine’s current cars - the A110 and electric A290 - are available to lease via AA Cars today. Have a look today to see what they offer.
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