Head to Head – Alpine A110 – Car or Classic?

It isn’t often that two cars with a fifty-year age gap can be readily compared, but we’d wager the original Alpine A110 and its modern retro-styled counterpart both covet the same spot in your garage. Allow us to explain.

Certainly, we’re talking about two very different cars. But despite one being a star of ‘60s rallying and the other being a modern car with airbags, ABS and Apple CarPlay, both A110s lay claim to the greatest four-cylinder sports car experience money can buy.

For those in search of a weekend warrior from the Alpine stable, here’s what each A110 brings to the table.

The original A110 was the brainchild of French rally enthusiast Jean Rédélé, who began modifying Renault 4CVs for competition use during the mid 1950s. Rédélé devised his own lightweight bodywork and fitted the Renaults with five-speed manual gearboxes – a real innovation at the time. After scoring class wins in the Mille Miglia and Coupes des Alpes, and racing with some success at Le Mans and Sebring, Rédélé found his services in demand and was encouraged to start his own brand, founding Alpine in 1955.

Alpine launched the A110 in 1963; a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive ‘Berlinette’ with fibreglass bodywork by Giovanni Michelotti and lightweight yet stiff steel backbone chassis, not dissimilar to Colin Chapman’s Lotus Elan, albeit with the hot bit in the other end. During the A110’s fourteen-year production run, power grew substantially from a modest 51 horsepower to a seriously potent 180 horsepower. These later, more powerful A110s found great success on the rally stage, attaining 1-2-3 finishes at both the 1971 and 1973 Monte Carlo Rallies – no mean feat for a pint-sized manufacturer building cars from bits out of Renault’s parts bin.

Weighing in at just 620 kilograms, the original A110 is, unsurprisingly, a delight to drive. Fans of old-school, naturally aspirated, carburetted sports car performance will not be disappointed. A 6.9-second 0-60 mph time for the fastest 1600 S model may not be especially rapid by modern standards, but for a car this small, light and basic, this is more than enough performance to have a whale of a time. Renowned for a wayward back-end and devoid of any driver aids or safety systems, this is a car that can (and will) bite you if you overstep the mark. It’s all part of the Alpine A110’s considerable charm, which, if anything, has increased over time now that cars are getting bigger, heavier, and more complicated by the day.

That brings us neatly on to the modern Alpine A110. Reviving the Alpine moniker was an ambitious move; huge shoes to fill indeed. But, it’s safe to say that the new A110 more than lives up to its name. Yet another retro-inspired model, following in the tread marks of the BMW MINI, Fiat 500, Volkswagen Beetle et al, the new A110 strikes a well-judged balance between the best of the old and the best of the new. The styling is an obvious nod to its forbears, and the aft-mounted engine driving the rear wheels is retained; but that’s really where the direct similarities end. The current Alpine is almost twice as heavy as its ancestor, but at 1,102 kilograms, it is still among the lightest road cars on sale today.

Sure, there are some downsides. There’s a singular lack of cup holders, no manual gearbox option, a shamefully unintuitive infotainment screen and an interior that feels a trifle too Renault-ey for a car with a £53k base price. But, we can forgive all these shortcomings for the fact the A110 is truthfully as engaging to drive as the car the car that inspires it. In spite of its modern driver aids and seven-speed DCT gearbox, the new A110 feels alive, recapturing the eager feel of the original in a way few retro-inspired relaunches have been able to muster. Gordon Murray has one. Need we say more?

So which Alpine takes your fancy? Nobody can argue against the fact that the modern A110 is infinitely more sensible. It’s a new car. But we’d certainly draw the line at ‘practical’. Neither Alpine A110 is going to take the family on holiday, or collect a flatpack wardrobe.

You have to consider what ownership experience suits you best. If you have access to dry storage, are happy to spend the odd half hour at the side of the road with your head under the bonnet, and love the experience only a true classic can offer, the original Alpine A110 is undoubtedly the car for you. But if you’re looking for the best modern, safe “driver’s car” that doesn’t come with a Porsche badge, the modern A110 is a great buy and dead cert future classic. Now that Alpine has begun its journey towards full electrification, we may never see another car quite like it again.

Still can’t make up your mind? Well, you’d better buy both. And the good news is, you you’ve come to the right place.