This is the £276k Alpine A110 R Ultime, the most powerful ever A110

Alpine has revealed a very special, very limited and very powerful version of its sublime A110. This is the A110 R Ultime, and… it is not like yer average A110. Which of course isn’t average at all.

Principally because that 1.8-litre four-pot has been treated to a modified turbocharger with a new turbine and compressor, allowing it to be dialled right up to 345bhp. That makes it the most powerful iteration of Gordon Murray’s daily driver.

It’s not all big, bold numbers, mind. Apart from the additional torque, which now sits at 310lb ft. Or the 160kg of additional downforce over the A110 R Turini. Or the 0-62mph time of just 3.8s – 0.2s quicker than that Turini.

Or the 330mm AP Racing discs, or the updated six-speed gearbox better able to manage that additional torque, or the staggered 18in front/19in rear lightweight forged wheels.

No, all of those big, bold numbers are in service of making the A110 an absolute riot on a track. Alpine reckons the additional power and downforce – the latter developed via a wild aero package including splitters, a giant rear wing, flicks, fins, bonnet vents and possibly a spoonful of sugar – makes it “even more agile on corner entry, cornering and acceleration”.

“The road holding work carried out had a clear objective: further improving the car’s performance,” said Alpine. “Thanks to a successful blend of agility and performance, the A110 R Ultime is a genuine road-legal circuit car.”

Defo looks like one. And this being an ultra limited edition Alpine means you can make it look like your one. There’s a high level of personalisation available to buyers, mainly consisting of applying your choice of colourway to various parts of the car. Or to all of it.

The car above is apparently an A110 R Ultime ‘La Bleue’ version, which is limited to 15 cars only. So it’s a limited edition of a limited edition, and because it gets everything Alpine offers in terms of bespokery, this particular one costs a lot.

Oh, that’s right, there are a couple of final big, bold numbers – Alpine will build just 110 versions of this hardcore track-focused R, and each one starts at €265k (around £221k). And the Really Limited Limited Edition La Bleue above? That one costs €330k (£276k). Like we said, not yer average A110.