MV Agusta releases Alpine-inspired superbike
In today’s episode of Why can’t we have nice things? Italian motorcycle legend MV Agusta has announced a tie up with French sports car icon Alpine to create a limited edition of 110 Superveloce motorcycles.
Why 110? Simply because that’s the model number of Alpine’s lightweight sports car. In case you don’t know the Dieppe, France-built Alpine A110 is an all-aluminum, mid-engined, two-seater coupe powered by a 1.8-liter turbo four-banger. Its styling harks back to the rally-winning A110 of the early 1970s but otherwise it’s a thoroughly modern machine. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission sends power to the rear wheels, and all-round double-wishbone suspension turns in agile handling alongside a supple ride. The A110 has been warmly received as a compelling Porsche Cayman rival, but sadly hasn’t made it to these shores.
Now back to the bike. The Superveloce Alpine packs MV Agusta’s 798cc triple, which turns out 149 hp at a peaky 13,000 rpm and is also styled to bring back memories of the ’70s when MV dominated the racing scene. For the Alpine edition, the floating bodywork is in blue and white to match the French manufacturer’s colors. Raised A logos are affixed to the fairing and a black Alcantara seat with blue stitching fitted. The CNC-machined rims are in black. A final touch sees both French and Italian flags on either side of the front fender.
The Superveloce Alpine costs €36,300 ($44,000) in Europe where they’ll all be sold. Over here we’ll just have to make do with looking at the photos and dreaming.
