Automotive

Indeed, while the first stage was the most evident, as it focused on the weight and chassis plus rims, the second stage was the base for my reflexions, with a work on the exhaust, the dynamic admission and the ventilators, which are the preliminaries for the improvements I will show you right now. 

The first technical changes on the engine, the dynamic admission you don't see here, and the inverted ventilators with their Cup / GT Rallye aluminium frame:

And the titanium exhaust:

The issue is that there are not many parts which are available for the new Alpine, so the solutions are limited and you have to find inspiration from the competition pieces. 

On this matter, I am very lucky to know a " car wizard " with whom I am confronting my ideas. 

The main idea here is to cool the engine temperature down, in order to get more power and torque but not too much torque, as I wouldn't like to threaten the reliability of my gearbox. 

So, we found three solutions for the moment, two or three others are still under development, so I will check that later.

- The first solution is to change the air / water intercooler for a much more performant one. 

The original: 

The new one ( Credit Photo: MP REZEAU ) :

The new intercooler reduces the admission temperature by 40%, which is quite spectacular, and, at the same time, improves the " response time " ( Not sure it is the correct way to describe it, in english ). 

A photo of the new intercooler mounted on my engine:  

It is quite beautiful and made in aeronautical aluminum, and it complements my inverted ventilators with their aluminum frame which come from the Cup and Rally / GT 4 versions. 

- The second technical improvement is the one which was the tougher to find: The 200 Cell Sports Catalyser, in titanium. 

The difficulty is that it is not easy to find in inox, and almost impossible to find in titanium. My " wizard " finally built one in collaboration with a specialized company, the one which made my titanium exhaust. 

The gains are tops, in terms of power, torque, and sonority ( even if the noise is much more important, but it is a sports car, after all, and you can also close the valves when you are on a public road ). 

The other big advantage is that it reduces the heat of the exhaust line and of the engine compartment.

The pictures before and after installation: 

So, now I have a full exhaust line in titanium! 

The last advantage is a gain of weight, around 4, 5 kilos, to be added to the 7, 9 kilos of the exhaust output. 

Cherry on the cake, the exhaust cannula has been reworked, for a better dispersion of the air, and we added an anti torque draft ( a performant silent block ), to strongly reduce the engine movement during strong accelerations.

The exhaust cannula: 

( Credit photo: MP REZEAU ) 

The anti torque draft: 

- The third and last technical improvement is a new mapping of the engine AND the gearbox.

After all these mechanical changes, the mapping of the engine and the box are mandatory. Not only to gain in power and torque, but to improve the behavior of the engine and gearbox without risks for the gearbox, given the fact that the maximum torque this gearbox can stand is fixed to 380 / 395 Nm. 

The outcomes are here. A pity we couldn't see the results before and after all the mechanical changes. 

Max power: 300 HP at 5850 revs, and still some HP after, till 6800 revs.

Max torque: 375 Nm between 4100 and 5500 revs. With quite a lot of torque before and after.

Please note that the test bench is very severe AND that these figures are measured from the wheels, not directly from the engine.

 I could measure the different speed datas ( 0 to 100 Km/h, 1000 meters, max speed )  I did 3,9 to 4,1 secs for the 0 to 100 Km/h, 21,6 to 21, 9 secs for the 1000 meters, 260 km/h for the max speed, and 0 to 200 km/h in 11, 6 to 11, 8 seconds, which is far from being bad. 

- Two aesthetical changes, as a bonus:

A sports front grill, as the original was a bit cheap. 

Before: 

And the cover engine locking system ( Blue Screws ) :

- My personal feelings after 1000 kilometers with these new settings: 

As I already wrote, the A 110 is quite a light car with only 1103 to 1123 kilos, depending on the versions ( mine was even weighing 1128 kilos with some options ). So with only 252 HP, it was already a fast car, with a super power to weight ratio ( 4, 5 kilos per HP ). 

I already removed 34 kilos, due to the first three stages, and I will save 12 more with my stage 4 and 5. 

With these new figures, I will end with 3, 5 / 3, 6 kilos per HP, which is, in my opinion, very good. 

That's for the figures, but what about the sensations?

After 1000 Kilometers made, I can tell you that the outcome is even and way much better than I could imagine. The engine pushes much stronger, powerful everywhere, behaves like an atmospheric, the gearbox is faster with a last speed ( 7th ), much more enjoyable.

The sound of the engine is much more present, some will say too much ( Julie's husband, for example ), but for me, it is honey to my ears. 

Sorry for the poor quality video, but at least I have a sound file. I will take a better one as soon as I can:

 

I immediately tested the S version with its 292 HP ( which, on this test bench was more around 260/270 HP, by the way ), and there is no doubt, mine is a totally different car now. 

At the point that the small brakes are totally overwhelmed, now. But I will work on that in June, and that, on wet roads, strong accelerations are a bit tricky, due to the strong torque increase. 

I didn't end with these stages. I have to add some bigger and lighter racing brakes and hoses. Then, I will work on the engine hoses, but they are still under development, maybe a new radiator,  and, last thing, some carbon additions ( roof top / rear spoiler, the small one, not the big one / two air intakes dedicated to the flat bottom. )

These are 80% of my program which are now done. The last 20% will be much easier to do. A quite thrilling experience to live, in order to make this Alpine 110 totally like I wanted it.

Best,

Nicolas