Applications to join France’s National Gendarmerie police service might swell slightly with the news that the force is taking delivery of a fleet of Alpine A110 sports cars.
The country’s Ministry of the Interior announced that it had ordered 26 examples of the A110 Pure, the base model in Alpine’s sports car range, as part of process of “rejuvenation and modernization” of the police fleet.
That process means the Alpines will eventually replace the Renault Megane RS hot hatches used by the force since 2011. And although the two-seat A110 isn’t as practical as the old Renaultsport Megane, it should prove usefully quicker.
The A110 Pure is powered by a turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 249 hp and 236 lb ft, and can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.5 seconds on its way to a 155 mph (250 km/h) top speed. The Gendarmerie clearly didn’t feel the need to splash for the more expensive A110S, which gets an extra 40 hp, slices a tenth from the 62 run, and adds 6 mph (10 km/h) to the top end.
Related: Alpine Previews Fully-Electric Grand Tourer, Hot Hatch And A110 Coupe Successor
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This isn’t the first time French police have shoehorned themselves into a tiny Alpine sports car. Back in the 1960s the force used the original A110, which was even smaller. The new cars will be fitted with police lights, sirens and radio equipment by specialist conversion company, Durisotti.
“These vehicles will allow the police to carry out interventions on the motorway, involving cars in violation at high speed, as part of road safety or judicial police missions (drug trafficking for example)”, explains the Ministry of the Interior.
🇫🇷 C’est officiel, Alpine équipera la BRI de la @Gendarmerie d’#AlpineA110.
Nous sommes fiers de contribuer à la modernisation et au rajeunissement de la flotte automobile de la Gendarmerie Nationale, avec une sportive 100% made in France ▶ https://t.co/szF8sfHAfo pic.twitter.com/4yXYobHCPv— Alpine Cars FR (@alpinecarsFR) October 13, 2021
Though it’s not a slow car, there are plenty of vehicles that can outrun an Alpine, and its nimble handling might not seem best suited to motorway work. But French authorities generally like to buy French products and these days the country doesn’t make many credible performance cars above hot hatches, unless you count the Bugatti Chiron, which probably would have busted the budget at almost $80 million for the 26-strong fleet.
One French media report suggests more Alpine orders may follow, and with an Alpine SUV and four-door GT on the way, the country’s police could soon be making firm friends with Alpine dealers, and enemies with the drug ones.