It would be so easy, predictable even to dismiss the new Alpine A110 R Ultime as an overpriced, underpowered, largely unnecessary irrelevance. After all it costs a brain-rotating £235,000 yet its 1.8-litre turbo engine boasts just 32bhp more than that of a regular A110 GTS.
It also weighs a fraction more than the base car thanks to its bigger wheels and brakes, while its gearbox has one less ratio.
On the surface, it would appear to undermine Alpine’s entire philosophy by adding more of everything – including kilograms – in search of a quality the A110’s creators couldn’t have cared less about: lap time.
