The Ministry of the Interior confirms the order for 26 Alpine A110s for the National Gendarmerie, succeeding the Mégane RS.
The rumor had been swelling for a few weeks. And if the National Gendarmerie, and more precisely its Rapid Intervention Brigade rolled in Alpine? If this possibility, it is true very attractive, had for a time been swept aside for reasons in particular of practicality, now it had been mentioned again for some time. Noises from the corridors which then resurfaced following the cancellation of the order for several Seat Leon Cupra, a choice on the part of the government which then created the controversy, the latter having been strongly criticized for having favored a brand foreign. All that remained was to find another model, which could then succeed the Renault Mégane RS, retired in September 2020. Why not the Alpine A110? Now the only tricolor sports car on the market, while the Mégane is about to disappear in 2023, the berlinetta is indeed an intervention car of choice, showing excellent performance and enjoying real sympathy.
And last night, finally, the news fell, with a statement that could not be clearer, from the Ministry of the Interior: ” Following a call for competition initiated in June 2021, the Ministry of the Interior will acquire rapid intervention vehicles for the National Gendarmerie. The Renault company won the contract, with the model Alpine A110 Pure “. In total, no less than 26 copies have been ordered, while the date of entry into circulation has not yet been communicated. The government then specifies that ” these vehicles will allow the police to carry out interventions on the motorway, involving high-speed infringing cars, as part of road safety or judicial police missions. Two of them will be dedicated to rapid response training ”. It only remains to be patient before having a chance to cross the berlinetta on our highways. Hoping all the same not to have it in his rearview mirror for too long …
The return of Alpine
In reality, the presence of the Alpine A110 in the ranks of the National Gendarmerie does not date from today, since it was already used by the police in 1967, model subsequently replaced by the A310. The units which will be put into circulation within a few months have obviously changed a lot, but will on the other hand be identical to the models sold to the general public, produced in Dieppe before being equipped by the Durisotti company. As a reminder, the Alpine A110 Pure has a 1.8-liter four-cylinder unit, the same as that of the Renault Mégane RS, then developing 252 horsepower and achieving 0 to 100 km / h in just 4.5 seconds, for a maximum speed of 250 km / h. Suffice to say that it should give a hard time to drivers, provided you know the mastery. As a reminder, all of the power is sent to the rear wheels, via an automatic gearbox with dual clutch and seven gears. His price ? € 58,400, to which is added the transformation. But there is no doubt that the government has negotiated a small discount, given the number of copies ordered!
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