ALPINE, the boutique French sportscar brand, is just a week away from the Geneva Motor show debut of its first production car since the 1990s.

However, rather than wait, the now Renault-owned company has elected to whip the covers off early. Ladies and gents, say hello to the shapely Alpine A110.

Alpine A110 front side

And it’s a fairly faithful homage to the original A110, a fibreglass-bodied two-door that was sold across the 1960s and ‘70s and achieved plenty of success on the rally car stage. Scope the scalloping on the side sheetmetal and you’ll see the resemblance – in case the silhouette and quad-headlamp arrangement didn’t first tip you off.

Alpine A110 side

We do know that there’s an all-aluminium platform and bodyshell beneath that blue paint, and a sizable brake package with fixed four-piston calipers up front is obvious. Lightweight engineering will be a key part of the A110’s performance equation (with fixed-back seats weighing just 13kg apiece), but the all-important power and weight figures won’t be announced until next week.

Alpine A110 rear