New 2023 Alpine A110 San Remo 73: limited-run rally tribute unveiled

The Alpine A110 is certainly more at home on tarmac than gravel, but this wasn’t necessarily the case for its 1963 namesake. The original A110 was a formidable rally car, taking Alpine to overall victory in the first ever World Rally Championship in 1973. Fifty years on, Alpine is celebrating this success with a new, limited-run A110 San Remo 73. 

The special edition takes its name from the 1973 Sanremo rally, which saw the A110 slither through the mixed-surface stages to win by more than six minutes, sealing the championship for Alpine. The rally car's Cady Blue colour scheme has been applied to the A110 San Remo 73, with a red carbonfibre roof to echo the graphics of the original. 

Black and white stripes span across the bonnet, doors and rear bumper, too, with black headlight inlays and white 18-inch alloys completing the makeover. The San Remo 73 features the same one-piece Sabelt bucket seats as the standard A110, albeit trimmed in suede with the words ‘world champion’ stitched into the backrests. The black and white graphics continue on the door panels, too. 

The special edition uses the uprated 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged motor from the A110S and Legende GT, putting out 296bhp and 251lb ft of torque. This propels the 1086kg coupe from 0-62mph in 4.2sec, and on to a 155mph top speed. But as ever with the A110, it’s the car’s composure and absorbing dynamics that take precedence over raw performance - to that end, the San Remo 73 adopts the softer springs, dampers and roll bars from the Legende GT, rather than the Cup chassis of the S. 

As with those versions, beefier brakes and an active sports exhaust are included in the asking price, which stands at £77,990 in the UK. With just 200 units being built, it’s unclear how many San Remo 73s will arrive on our shores, but each will arrive with a numbered plaque to mark them out as limited editions.