Last month, Renault released teasers of its gorgeus Alpine A110-50 Concept ahead of the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Meant as an homage to the original 1961 Alpine 110, the A110-50 Concept celebrates the French company's racing heritage.
Paying its respects to the past and leading the brand to the forefront of automotive technogy at the same time, the A110-50 Concept features svelte body pieces formed from carbon-fiber, highlighting its mid-engine proportions. Air intakes wrapped orange feed air to a powerful 3.5 liter V6 engine producing 400-hp and 311 lb.-ft. of torque.
An F1-style sequential gearbox, featuring a twin-plate clutch that can be controlled by either applying the clutch pedal or the paddles behind the steering wheel. The transmission incorporates limited-slip differential with adjustable pre-loading and is positioned just so to give the chassis a near 50/50 weight distribution for ideal handling. Inside the enormous set of 21-inch wheels are 6-piston 14-inch disc brakes at the front and 13-inch disks at the rear.
Eager to demonstrate the concept's potential, Renault invites its former factory rally driver Jean Ragnotti back into the driver's seat. A maestro behind the Renault 5 Turbo Group B machine, Ragnotti won the covetted Monte-Carlo as well as the Rallye de France twice.
With a young Ragnotti in the original A110 and a present day Ragnotti in the A110-50 Concept, the pair of fine French metals get into a dogfight along the edge of the Alps.
As far as dogfights go, the matchup between an original A110 and its new concept would be the equivalent to a P51 Mustang duking it out against an F-22 Raptor. No matter, it still makes for sensational entertainment. Check out the awesome short film below:
