You Can Now Order Alpine's New 250bhp Cayman Rival

Alpine has opened the order books for a special launch edition of its new Porsche Cayman-rivalling sports car – before anyone even knows what the production version looks like.

In total, 1955 ‘Premiere Edition’ models will be made – a reference to the year in which Jean Rédélé set up the original company before building the famous A110. What’s more, customers will be able to choose their number, between 0001 and 1955, but you can bet that both bookends have already been snapped up. The number will be engraved onto a plaque inside the car.

We know precious little about the new model, apart from rumours suggesting it will be called the A120. Alpine says the 0-62mph sprint should be possible in 4.5 seconds thanks to extremely low weight, making it a tenth quicker than the long-geared Cayman S.

Autocar is claiming that power comes from an enlarged version of the 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder in the Renault Clio RS, with capacity bumped up to 1.8 litres for a power hike to around 250bhp.

French magazine Auto Plus is saying that a Renaultsport version is planned as well, with power closer to 300bhp. Comparatively, the Lotus Exige Asport 350 uses a supercharged V6 with 345bhp and cracks the benchmark sprint in just 3.7 seconds.

The price for the A120 Premiere Edition is set at between €55,000 and €60,000, making it cheaper than the Lotus, with a €2000 deposit securing a car and letting you choose a number. Colour options will cover blue, white and black.

British buyers could expect to add a few thousand to the current exchange rate to pay for the conversion to right-hand drive. Auto Express is guessing around the £50,000 mark.

Its tech spec will be revealed early next year, says Alpine, with Auto Express saying that the first deliveries will start towards the end of 2017.

More lightweight cars are understood to be on the way in Alpine’s plans, but it should be some time before projects are signed off and put into production.