The Gendarmerie orders 26 copies
Alpina (yes, with an ‘A’) would be a top pick for the police. Blazing fast, spacious and comfortable enough to spend hours in. Alpine (so with an ‘E’) wouldn’t be our first choice; they are a bit on the tight side and the mid-engine makes the car more difficult to drive on the limit. Sudden upset is not unthinkable in chase situations. The French Gendarmerie, which you can think of as our Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, sees value in the small French sports car and orders 26 copies.
For quick interventions on the highway
The Gendarmerie has been driving sporty models such as the Renault Mégane RS and the Seat Leon Cupra for years. As part of a fleet rejuvenation program, 26 cars will be replaced by the Alpine A110 Pure over the next four years. “These vehicles will enable the police to intervene on the highway with cars driving at high speed as part of road safety or judicial police missions (for example drug trafficking), the French government reports.
Two of the Alpines are used for riding training. What the Pure means is already in the name. It is a pure performance without many frills. It’s more focused on cornering performance than luxury. So lighter and harder. The 1.8-liter four-cylinder produces 252 horsepower. The 0-100 time is 4.5 seconds and the top speed is 250 km/h. The purchase is cool. Of course, it immediately reminds the Dutch of the time when the police here still drove Porsche 911 Targas.