ALPINE A110 R

‘IT’S A DAZZLING PARTNER, WHETHER THE ROAD IS FAST AND FLOWING OR TIGHT AND TECHNICAL’ – RICHARD MEADEN

DON’T WORRY IF YOU HAVE LOST TRACK OF Alpine’s A110 model line-up. It has multiplied by a factor that even Porsche’s 911 product planners would consider a little enthusiastic. First there was Pure, Première and Légende, then came S, GT and one called simply ‘A110’, and that’s not to mention the specials that have come and gone, such as the Le Mans Edition and the Jean Rédélé Edition and that one that was painted yellow. The R is different. Special? Yes. And the epitome of what Dieppe can achieve when the only consideration is taking the already featherweight A110 and adding more lightness.

It’s a car that impressed us more on road than track during its international launch and did so again when we pitched it against Porsche’s Cayman GT4 (2019’s eCoty victor) and BMW’s M2, swapping the Spanish countryside for Scotland’s finest and Anglesey Circuit.

It’s also a car that has frustrated on some drives yet inspired us on others, the latter truer to its character.

The A110 R arrives with some baggage, some familiar, some pieces new and shining. The familiar is its fourcylinder turbocharged powertrain and dual-clutch transmission that distracts you more than it should. The new is the price, all `1 crore (in the UK, excluding Indian taxes and duties) of it, which positions the R fairly and squarely in the ‘this needs to perform above and beyond to pull something spectacular off’ category.

It also has two considerable-sized gems tucked up its wheelarches to counter: a 1082kg kerb weight and a marathon runner’s physique, attributes that few here, or anywhere, can match and that gets to the heart of what makes a great driver’s car. A potential eCoty winner, too.