Alpine A110 – design

The Alpine’s retro-modern design might feel familiar now it’s been on sale for a few years, but it still turns heads like few other shapes on the road. The tight surfacing and flared arches give it a real aggression on the road, despite the Alpine’s dinky proportions. The A110 S is also available with a subtle aero kit that includes a front splitter and rear wing. The look is a little tacked-on in appearance, but for those after a more motorsport-like aesthetic it does hold its own appeal.

Next to the A110 R, though, the aero kit-equipped S looks tame. With its dropped ride height, carbonfibre wheels and exposed carbon panels, the R looks every bit the road racer it was designed to be, but the bodywork changes aren't just for show. Compared to the aforementioned aero kit, the R generates an extra 29kg of downforce while reducing drag by five per cent thanks to its bespoke splitter, side skirts, rear wing and diffuser. 

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Whichever you choose, the Alpine looks simply sensational from almost any angle. For starters, it really is tiny – 4180mm long and just 1252mm high – and dwarfed by the likes of a Porsche Cayman and Audi TT. Its flowing design draws heavily on the original ’60s A110 but with enough injection of modernity to keep it looking fresh and relevant. It’s a lithe and slinky-looking car that turns heads as readily as supercars costing three or four times as much. On the road, its four-roundell lighting graphic is still a defining feature, and makes its presence obvious from a long way up the road.

Customisation options are extensive thanks to the introduction of the Atelier service a few years back, which opens up a raft of exterior paint options and more wheel colours. There's also an expanded choice of brake caliper colours and two-tone body colours, with an optional gloss-finish carbonfibre roof on the S and GT models. Despite raising the cost quite substantially the Atelier programme has really made the A110 feel like a high-end supercar in miniature.