After an absence of two decades, the Alpine marque is back with the launch of the A110 Première Edition sports coupe.

Alpine was conceived as a standalone brand within the Renault group and true to form, the all-new A110 Première Edition is a lightweight, elegant sports coupe which places emphasis on absolute agility and driving pleasure without compromising on everyday comfort.

Designed and manufactured in France, the mid-engined, two-seater coupe features aluminium construction to keep weight to a minimum and sophisticated double-wishbone suspension.

It is powered by a turbocharged, 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, which develops 252PS. And like all Alpines, it’s rear-wheel drive.

Limited to 1,955 examples – a nod to the year Alpine was founded – the A110 Première Edition was priced at 59,500 euro (approximately £52,500) and was fully reserved within five days of going on sale, but the production series A110 will follow shortly.

As well as a rich heritage in building agile, lightweight sports cars that are in their element on winding mountain roads, Alpine is also well-known for competing at the highest level of international motorsport. Its crowning glories include winning the 1973 World Rally Championship title and outright victory at the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It is in that same spirit that Alpine today competes in international endurance racing. Its title-winning FIA LMP2 World Endurance Championship programme showcases the brand’s ambition and commitment to motorsport.

Michael van der Sande, Managing Director, Alpine, said: “It is an enormous privilege to relaunch a brand that instils such passion – but a big responsibility too. This passion for Alpine, both within Groupe Renault and among sports car enthusiasts, is huge. It has long been our ambition to bring Alpine back. Now, the time is right.

“With the new A110 Première Edition we’ve taken the core principles that made Alpine so successful in the Sixties and Seventies – such as compact size, light weight and a very low centre of gravity – and deployed them with modern technologies. The car is an absolute pleasure to drive on country roads or on the track, but also very comfortable to drive every day.

“It is my mission to establish Alpine as a permanent fixture in the sports car segment,” he added.