French sports car maker Alpine has created the limited A110 R Le Mans edition to celebrate the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Limited to a symbolic 100 units, the Le Mans edition boasts a number of aesthetic changes from the range-topping A110 R, but no added power.
The Le Mans edition gains a carbon fibre rear wing and ‘shark fin’ on the rear window as a nod to the style of Alpine Elf Endurance Team’s current World Endurance Championship (WEC) challenger, the A480.
Alpine’s patented “Road & Track chock” technology, paired with a specific suspension setting, is said to lower and stiffen the A110 R Le Mans by five per cent for increased stability.
The front spoilers, side sills, and headrests will all be decorated with the official signature of 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the racetrack outline is laser-engraved on the sun visor.
Paying tribute to the official colours of Le Mans, the white livery is combined with blue brake calipers and thin blue line accents on the bonnet, roof, and rear spoiler fins.
The Le Mans edition still boasts a carbon fibre bonnet, rear window panel, wheels, and interior elements.
Inside there are Sabelt Track racing-style bucket seats and Alcantara upholstering across the dashboard and doors.
Each of the 100 examples will be identifiable by a numbered plate with the Le Mans signature.
The 100 lucky owners will join Alpine’s ‘Band of Racers’, providing them with the opportunity to take a lap of the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe in the special edition A110 R on the morning of next year’s race start.
Performance figures for the A110 R Le Mans are unchanged from the standard A110 R.
Power will come from the same 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 221kW of power and 340Nm of torque.
Alpine claims the A110 R can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.9 seconds, with a top speed of 285km/h.
For its exclusivity, hopeful owners of one of the 100 units will have to pay €140,000, a substantial increase on the €105,000 price tag of the base A110 R.
Customers will be able to order the limited model from Alpine Centres across France from June 8.
“This iconic limited series follows in the legendary footsteps of the GTA Le Mans, combining sophisticated aerodynamics with an incredible power-to-weight ratio, as did the Alpine M63, the first Alpine to compete at Le Mans in 1963,” said Alpine’s VP of sales and operations, Emmanuel Al Nawakil.
The brand will join competitors such as Ferrari and Toyota in the hypercar category of Le Mans from 2024 onwards.
