Video: is the 300bhp Alpine A110 R 2023's best new sports car?

Back in 2018, the Alpine A110 won Top Gear’s Performance Car of the Year award. We loved its lightweight agility and friendly balance. So how has Alpine spent the intervening four years? Turns out it’s been finding ways to save even more weight, add downforce and grip, and make the A110 a much more serious track-focused piece of kit. And the result is the 1,082kg Alpine A110 R.

It’s festooned with carbon fibre trinkets, the aerodynamics were honed in the Alpine F1 team’s wind tunnel, and they’ve got so serious about saving weight you don’t even get a rear wiper. Plus, there’s a special edition dedicated to two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso (just as he quits the team).

So is this set to be 2023’s best new sports car, or has Alpine got a bit too carried away? Join Top Gear magazine’s Ollie Kew for a deep-dive look around the new A110 R.