Car pictures of the week: Alpine A110 R at eCoty 2023
Alpine’s lightest, most extreme A110 is one of nine cars fighting for evo’s 2023 Car of the Year crown – how will it stack up?
Until now, Alpine’s most impactful sports car remains the original A110. Neither the more powerful A110 S or GT moved the game on dramatically from the spellbinding original recipe, but with the A110 R, Alpine promises a step change in performance and philosophy. Lighter, tauter, more in tune with the road and more capable on the track, it could be the best yet.
Our initial drives of the A110 R in the UK and overseas revealed it to be an exceptionally rewarding road car, but to find out just how good it is, we lined it up against the class of 2023 in evo’s Car of the Year test. See how it fared by picking up your copy of evo issue 317 in store, or online via the evo shop.
Alpine pitches the A110 R as a track car, first and foremost. To that end, it has new aero parts, adjustable coilover suspension and a smattering of carbonfibre components to reduce weight. The bonnet, roof, engine cover and even the wheels are all made from carbon, and the result is a kerb weight of just 1082kg. Light by A110 standards, and a true featherweight compared to everything else at eCoty 2023.
Climb inside the A110 R and its skeletal carbon bucket seats add to the sense of purpose, but thumb the starter button and the A110’s familiar four-cylinder snort might bring a tinge of disappointment. The engine really is familiar, generating the same 296bhp as the A110 S, which does sting in the context of the R’s £96,990 asking price.
Truth be told, the A110 has never thrilled by virtue of its powertrain, but through its lightness, transparency and deftness across the ground, and the R has all the ingredients to pull the same trick. Can it win out against heavyweight hitters like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, McLaren 750S and Lamborghini’s unhinged Huracán Sterrato? Pick up your copy of evo 317 to find out.
