Alpine's A110 R Ultime Costs Over $1,000 per HP, How Many Will You Buy?

We kid you not; the Alpine A110 R Ultime costs a lot of money. The French company that operates under Renault's roof is asking up to €330,000 for this ride, which equals nearly $370,000 at the current exchange rates. This comes out to over $1,000 per horsepower, and trust us, that's a lot of money. By comparison, Porsche's 911 Turbo 50 Jahre costs $468 per horsepower, and a Ferrari 296 GTB is nearly $400 per horsepower. For what it's worth, you could land a brand-new Lamborghini Temerario for that kind of money.

Truth be told, Alpine is charging a bit less for a base A110 R Ultime. The sports car, which is understood to be the swansong of the fabulous A110 series, begins at €265,000 (equaling $286,530). One of its biggest rivals in the class, the Porsche 718 Cayman S, starts at €77,035 and also offers a four-pot, albeit with hp (350 ps/257 kW), which is a hair more than the A110 R Ultime. The latter has 340 hp (345 ps/254 kW), and at 310 pound-foot (420 Nm) of torque, the thrust is identical in both.

Alpine's A110 R Ultime rips to sixty-two mph (100 kph) in 3.8 seconds, six-tenths of a second quicker than the Porsche, which taps out at 177 mph (285 kph). That's 0.6 seconds faster than the 718 Cayman S, and there is a €187,965 ($203,235) difference between the two, with the French "berlinette" being the more expensive one, obviously. Topping the 718 Cayman family is the GT4 RS, with its 4.0L flat-six, hp (500 ps/368 kW), and ability to zip to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds. This model is available from €158,700 ($171,595), which is €106,300 ($114,935) less than the starting price of the A110 R Ultime.

The French carmaker says its latest version of the A110 has a power-to-weight ratio of 3.2 kg/hp. It also gets a DW6 gearbox with improved torque capacity, sports a modified turbocharger, and a titanium exhaust system signed by Akrapovic. Other highlights compared to the lesser models include the adjustable dampers, bi-material brake discs, high-performance pads, new cooling ducts, and enhanced aero. The A110 R Ultime sits on 19-inch wheels at the rear and 18-inch at the front, shod in sticky tires from Michelin.

Various personalization options are available, with Alpine splitting the offering into two programs. These are called the Atelier and Atelier Sur-Mesure, which sounds very Bugatti-ish, though both companies are French. Alpine's A110 R Ultime can be specified in one of the 27 exterior finishes in the former and nine additional Alcantara and ten leather upholstery hues with special embossing and embroidery in the latter. Given that only 110 units will be made in total, it is likely that there won't be two identical A110 R Ultime sports cars.

In essence, the Alpine A110 R Ultime features cleverer aero, chassis tweaks, an expanded color palette, more personalization on the inside, and a bit more oomph than the rest of the family. This, combined with the limited production number and the fact that it may just be a swansong for the A110, allows Alpine to charge an eye-watering amount of money for it to the point where prospective buyers would be foolish not to go for a real supercar.

However, the A110 R Ultime, like all versions of the exciting French sports car, is a ride aimed at driving enthusiasts. More importantly, the Ultime targets real Alpine fans, and the company has narrowed them down by asking for more Benjamins than most of us have ever seen live. Is it a clever marketing trick? Perhaps. However, we certainly wouldn't spend that much money on what is still an A110, albeit dressed in fancier clothing and with several technical modifications that only seasoned drivers will come to appreciate. Well, at least not until our dream garage comprises some of the hottest vehicles ever known to man.

Still, if your pockets are deep enough and you have fallen for the Alpine A110 R Ultime, we won't make fun of you for spending brand-new Lamborghini Temerario money on it. After all, chances are you have also secured a build slot for the Sant'Agata Bolognese's latest 'baby' supercar, which sits below the Revuelto. It's also possible that your dream garage is almost complete; otherwise, why spend that much money on an Alpine when you could have a real supercar? And if sports models sound more appealing, then you could have no fewer than four Porsche 718 Caymans for the equivalent of a base A110 R Ultime.

Perhaps we'll see the A110 R Ultime at future retro car meets, admire it, and think, "Well, here's a rich Alpine fan!"