The annual Goodwood Festival of Speed is always a special event, so it's been chosen as the perfect venue and occasion this year for the legendary sports car brand, Alpine, to showcase its brand new, production-ready A110. As well the new agile two-seater making its first appearance on UK soil ahead of it going on sale in early 2018, it will also be taking to the hill as part of the legendary Supercar Run.

As well as Alpine returning to Goodwood (June 29-July 2) with a new model, the company will be further adorning this year's event by displaying a number of its classic heritage models too. These will include the Alpine A442 B, which was the outright winner of the 1978 Les Mans 24-hour race, and the A310 that will be going up the hill as part of the Touring Car, NASCAR, Drift and Rally group.

The A110 was first launched by Alpine at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March, where the car displayed the Alpine core principles of light weight, handling agility and outstanding performance. The mid-engined two-seater sports coupe is entirely in keeping with the spirit of its Alpine predecessors, particularly the A110 ‘Berlinette.'

The all-new A110 features an aluminum body and platform, which helps keep its curb weight down to a featherweight 1,080kg. It's a pretty compact car as it measures just 4178mm long, 1798mm wide and 1252mm high. But with an optimal weight distribution of 44 per cent at the front and 56 per cent at the rear and a low center of gravity, it's sure to be an agile performer on the kind of twisting, winding mountain roads Alpine's formidable reputation was founded on back in the 1960s and 1970s.

A new 1.8-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine will power the new A110, which boasts a maximum power rating of 252 horsepower and 320 nm of torque. The combination of that engine, the A110's lightweight construction and a power-to-weight ratio of 233hp:tonne helps to propel the car from a standing start to 62 mph in as little as 4.5 seconds.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed kicks off this Thursday in Chichester, West Sussex, England.