And because of this extra information, you rise to the bait, start concentrating more and driving harder. It tells you more about the road surface, reminds you how strong the chassis is, how exceptional the wheel control, how accurate the damping. It gives you more reason to use high revs because that’s where the extra power is tucked away, and when you go there it not only hits harder, but sounds crisper, there’s more gravel in its vocal chords. There’s great communication, but the overall impression is that the car does its job and you enjoy the sensations it delivers. You guide it along and relish the signals it's sending you. The wheels seem to reach down from above, to only lightly brush the surface. Get on a good road and that gives the A110 a very particular flavour. Nothing that embraces softness and lightness of touch in the same way. The standard car does the daily stuff better, but more than that, it does it differently. You might be crawling to work, but you’ll marvel at the way it absorbs the surface, how it treads so lightly. I find myself looking forward to the low speed ride in the standard A110 because it’s so dextrous. You’ll enjoy it on good blats, but if you’re crawling about it’s busier, more buzz through the suspension, sharper over bumps, more distracted by ruts, a little more fidget. How are you planning on using your Alpine? Just for the weekends? Or every day? You know what comes next. Let’s answer that with an important, if prosaic, question. Now, do they make it more fun to drive? Worms, meet can. Those questions then: Yes, the changes are necessary because they give the Alpine range more breadth and alter the A110’s character. Are the changes necessary? Do they make the A110S more fun to drive? Before we get on to that, I ought to finish the list of modifications that help justify the hefty price uplift, so here goes: uprated Brembo brake calipers, recalibrated ESP, an optional carbon fibre roof (a 1.9kg saving for £2,208), this Thunder Grey matt paint (an extra £4,440), and various little trim adjustments (an orange band at midday on the steering wheel, darker exterior badging, aluminium pedals). High-speed stability and handling precision are two of its defining characteristics.” Here’s Alpine’s chief engineer, Jean-Pascal Dauce, on the matter: “Earlier versions of the A110 were pitched very much in line with the original 1970s A110 – they’re playful and fun to drive.
They’re there to give the S a fundamentally different character. Coil springs that are 50 per cent stiffer and anti-roll bars 100 per cent firmer are not small tweaks. The ride height drops 4mm, the tyres are 10mm wider front and rear.
The extra power is there to work the modified suspension harder.
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