Photo: Gendarmerie nationale

French road police receive first Alpine sports cars in 26 vehicle order

France's Gendarmerie nationale have received the first two sports cars that are part of a delivery deal with historic French manufacturer Alpine. A further 24 cars will be delivered in due course.

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The Alpine 110s, which are intended to be used by rapid intervention teams, were shown off during a ceremony on Christmas Eve. The deal will see Alpine vehicles in police colours in France for the first time since the late 1960’s.

The 26 Alpine cars will replace the Renault Mégane 3 RS vehicles that were first deployed back in 2002. As France 3 news reports, the country’s Ministry of the Interior has praised the purchasing decision and boasted about the cars being manufactured in France.

According to Autocar, the new Alpine 110s sport a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine – producing 248bhp and 236lb ft – with a seven-speed automatic gearbox, for a reported 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds.

Another 3 of the vehicles will be delivered in April, with the rest to come at some point after that. At the moment it remains unclear which regional police forces will receive the sports cars first.