The 345bhp Alpine A110 R Ultime Is A £275,000 Goodbye

The Alpine A110 is a singularly brilliant sports car that approaches things like nothing else on sale right now, and we wish it would stick around forever. Unfortunately, new safety regulations and Alpine’s all-electric ambitions mean it’ll only be around for a couple more years, so the company is getting ready to send it off in fairly spectacular fashion.

This is the A110 R Ultime, and it’s the most hardcore the lightweight sports car has ever been. Using the already fairly serious A110 R as its base, the Ultime sees power from its 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder upped to 345bhp and torque lifted to 310lb ft. This means it’ll now knock out the 0-62mph sprint in 3.8 seconds. The top speed hasn’t been quoted yet.

Much of this power comes from an uprated turbo, although the new Akrapovic titanium exhaust probably contributes too. To cope with the extra grunt, the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox has been replaced with a stronger six-speed unit. 330mm AP Racing bi-material brakes help keep everything under control and are shrouded by new forged wheels – 18 inches at the front, 19 at the rear – wrapped in Michelin PS2 Cup rubber.

A more aggressive aero setup with a revised rear wing and a new splitter and canards up front contributes to an extra 160kg of downforce at top speed compared to a regular A110 R.

Alpine is keen to emphasise the level of personalisation available with the Ultime. Opt for the second-tier ‘Atelier Sur-Mesure’ catalogue and you can choose from 27 exterior colours, and one of 13 shades of Alcantara or 10 of leather for the inside.

Just 110 Ultimes will be made, and naturally, they won’t come cheap. Like, really not cheap. In France, pricing kicks off at €265,000 – around £222,000. 15 of them, though, will come in the ‘La Bleue’ specification seen here, with its distinctive gradient paint scheme and much blue leather inside. All that extra blueness will cost you a staggering €330,000, or around £276,000.

It remains to be seen how many Ultimes will come to the UK, and how much it’ll cost once it lands here, but either way, could it really be worth at least six times more than a lightly used example of the phenomenal standard A110? We’ll have to wait and find out.