Alpine A110 GT

There are certain cars that you suspect people will look back on in ten or fifteen years and wonder why more of us didn’t buy them when they were new.

The Alpine A110 is almost certainly going to be one of them. And that feels even more relevant now. Production of the A110 came to an end earlier this year, bringing the curtain down on one of the most distinctive and genuinely brilliant sports cars of the modern era. There won’t be another one quite like it. And this isn’t just an A110.

This is the A110 GT – arguably the sweet spot of the entire range and an extremely rare car to find in Ireland, particularly as an original Irish-supplied example. Finished in Noir Profond (Deep Black) over a beautifully understated black leather GT interior, it looks incredibly classy. There are no unnecessary wings or graphics here; just one of the prettiest modern sports-car shapes, sitting perfectly over its 18-inch wheels with red Brembo brake calipers behind.

The GT is important because underneath that elegant exterior sits the 300bhp version of Alpine’s 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, rather than the 252bhp unit fitted to the standard A110. With just 1,119kg to move, performance is properly serious – 0–100km/h takes just 4.2 seconds – but outright speed is almost missing the point.

What makes the A110 so special is how it drives. The lightweight aluminium chassis, mid-engined layout and beautifully judged suspension give it a delicacy and balance that very few modern cars possess. You don’t need huge speeds to enjoy one. The steering is alive, the car feels tiny around you and there’s a sense of connection that has largely disappeared from modern performance cars. The GT manages to combine all of that with a little more usability.

You get the more powerful engine and sharper performance while retaining the comfort that makes an A110 genuinely enjoyable on a long journey. This particular car is a 2025 example and has covered just 12,000km. Being an original Irish-supplied car makes it all the more unusual, and it presents exactly as you would expect from such a low-mileage example. It’s difficult to think of many modern sports cars that offer the same combination of rarity, performance, beauty and sheer driving enjoyment.

With production now finished, finding good examples – particularly Irish-supplied GTs – is only likely to become more difficult. A very special modern sports car, and one we suspect people are only going to appreciate more as the years go by.