Dubbed as the ‘sports car approved for the road’, the new Alpine A110 R is slightly better than its predecessor.

But it’s much more expensive.

What it lacks in practicality and comfort for road use, despite its strapline, it makes up for with its performance on the track.

At just under £95,000, the French sports car has the same power output of 296bhp as the A110 S and A110 GT.

So, what’s the point of it? And why does it cost so much?

The regular A110 wasn’t made for the track. That’s changed with the R, with a new chassis and stiffer suspension giving it more grip around the circuit.

Well, 34kg has been stripped from its kerb weight, it now comes with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres as standard, and it has additional wings.

It’s very much ‘less is more’ inside, too.

Clearly aimed at the track day regulars, the interior is stripped back with carbon fibre bucket seats and harnesses adding to the weight loss.

It also comes with a new data logging system with a computer dedicated to those drivers that love the data, and with the new focus on weight, the rear windscreen has been replaced with a lightweight carbon panel, so there’ll be no reversing into bays in the supermarket car park.

There’s no denying that the A110 R is expensive for what it is – a pocket rocket made to eat up the corners of a track.

But that ethos of being a sports car approved for the road is important.

It’s been the case of the opposite for its sister versions, with the S and GT very much sitting in the road car category.

The R, however, is very much a track car that can be used on the road. How well it can be used in that way, though, will leave a lot to be desired.

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