What's all this about?
Alpine has taken the showcase opportunity of the Geneva Motor Show to confirm it is heading back to top-level, track-based, production-based motorsports with this, the A110 GT4. It made its debut in Switzerland alongside the road-going Pure and Legende A110 models.
Has Alpine prepared the GT4 car itself?
No, it's developed by Signatech, Alpine's motorsport partner and the company behind the FIA World Endurance Series A470 LMP2 vehicles, as well as the A110 Cup.
I thought you said the GT4 marked the A110's return to racing?
It does. The A110 Cup was developed to highlight Alpine's return to making road cars and was a one-make series for amateur racers. The GT4 is a different kettle of fish but, brilliantly, if you've got an A110 Cup, you can have it upgraded to GT4 spec by Signatech, which will fit a series of components to transform the mid-engined marvel from Cup status to the relevant standards required for GT4.
Really?
Yes indeed, meaning you could be competing in the Alpine Cup one season and then the GT4 category the next, all in the same A110.
So what has happened to the A110 to turn it into a GT4?
It has the road car's aluminium chassis and double wishbone suspension, plus the mid-mounted, 1.8-litre turbocharged four-pot motor - however, this has been subjected to 'extensive upgrades' for the GT4 model. The racer also benefits from motorsport-specification springs and dampers, Brembo competition brakes, racing tyres, a downforce-generating front splitter and rear wing and a sequential competition transmission. While Signatech/Alpine won't confirm the GT4's exact weight or power output, it does say that the 316hp/tonne power-to-weight ratio the A110 possesses places it right at the limit of what's allowed by GT4 regulations. Talking of which, the A110 GT4 will be eligible for the SRO European GT4 Series, the international Creventic 24-Hour series and also a great number of one-off endurance events, like the Spa 24 Hours, so if you're a sportscar-racing fan, expect to see a lot of the A110 GT4 throughout the latter half of the 2018 season and throughout all of the 2019 campaign, and beyond.
Any thoughts from Alpine?
Indeed there are. Michael van der Sande, Alpine's managing director, said: "Alpine made its name by competing against other car makers and the new A110 GT4 by Signatech will see us return to that arena. I'm confident the car will be competitive; our ambition is for it to win races and championships. Now, amateur competitors can race with us in the Alpine Cup in a friendly and relaxed environment before upgrading their cars and tackling the highly-competitive GT4 series."
And what about Signatech?
Philippe Sinault, Signatech team principal, added: "Since 1990, Signatech has competed in various international motorsport series in both single-seaters and endurance racing, with enormous success. We've applied all of that experience and expertise to the development of the new A110 GT4 to make it a highly competitive racing car. Since teaming up with Alpine in the FIA World Endurance Championship, we've won races on three continents. In 2016, we won the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on our way to winning that year's championship. We look forward to enjoying that same level of success with Alpine in the GT4 category."
Matt Robinson - 6 Mar 2018
