Alpine will take on Pikes Peak with 493bhp A110

Alpine will take on the famous Pikes Peak hillclimb for the first time with this hardcore, aero-optimised A110, which has been "designed to break records". 

The most extreme iteration of the Alpine A110 to date, the 950kg Pikes Peak edition has been designed to cope with the fluctuations and demands presented by the 19.93km Colorado hillclimb, also known as the Race to the Clouds. 

It has been developed by Alpine in collaboration with French racing team Signatech, and sports a pronounced front splitter, double rear wing and shark fin that cuts through the rear window - all of which are designed to generate additional downforce in each of Pikes Peak's 156 corners.

Aero-optimised alloys, side skirts and a rear diffuser also feature, with a cooling duct appearing on the roof to force fresh air into the engine. 

Power comes from the same 1.8-litre turbocharged four-pot, but uprated to produce 493bhp - up 241bhp on the standard car.

Although Alpine won’t yet disclose performance figures, the Pikes Peak edition will surely smash the 3.9sec 0-62mph time of the 296bhp Alpine A110 R - the most powerful production model.

Designed by Alpine chief designer Raphaël Linari and overseen by project manager François Letort, this race-ready car retains some of the stock A110's proportions to ensure it is still eligible for the 'Time Attack 1' category, which only includes closed-body cars that keep their original air/fuel delivery systems, number of cylinders and number of driven wheels.