Alpine A110 R

Lighter than ever and with a new track focus - but no increase in power - can this ultimate A110 justify its £90k price tag?

LESS IS MORE. AT LEAST THAT'S THE gospel we preach when it comes to sports cars. Right now, there's no better example of this minimalist mantra than the Alpine A110, for at a time when hybrid-powered SUVs are approaching 3 tons and BMW M3s are getting on for 2 tons, this delicate and delectable machine can tip the scales at a barely believable 1102kg.

Such skeletal mass seems nothing short of miraculous, but Alpine has pushed things even further with the new track-focused A110 R, trimming that figure down to 1082kg in the pursuit of performance. It's testament to the famous French marque's fastidious approach that such weight savings have been made on an already featherweight car. Indeed, the only heavyweight part of the A110 R is its £89,990 price tag, but even this is a bullish indication of the fervent following that exists within Alpine's growing global fanbase.

The formula for the A110 R's impressively shredded physique is a high-fibre diet. Carbon fibre to be precise, the expensive and exotic material being employed extensively across new and highly effective aero parts, plus the bonnet, roof, engine cover (meaning there's no rear window), seats and even the wheels. The resulting look is reminiscent of the Weissach Pack offered on Porsche's RS models, with large areas of unpainted bodywork giving the normally chic-looking A110 a suitably skunkworks vibe.

Unashamedly aimed at circuit use, Alpine describes the R as an A110 that's 'dedicated for the track and useable on the road'. For context, it describes the A110 S as 'sporty on the road and credible on track. It's an important distinction, because it frames the R as a car that promises to be scintillating around a racetrack but possibly compromised on the street.