Louth Motoring: How an Alpine A110 S saved my Wild Atlantic weekend

Not specifically car related but related to the car. When I booked the Alpine A110 for a test drive I also booked a 2-night weekend away.

The plan was to drive the car to Co.Clare and enjoy the roads around there. We booked an AirBnB and booked Monks in Ballyvaughan and Linnanes in Newquay for dinners.

These are amazing places and well worth the trip. The anticipation was at a very high level, then dashed. When I arrived to collect the car I was told there wasn't one.

A simple miscommunication occurred but I was devastated. A replacement car was to be found for me but I really wanted the A110 for the trip because that was the main reason for the weekend away, not the food.

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After a short wait I was told that they had somehow, thankfully, miracled-up a replacement A110 in the form of the A110S - there's 4 models to choose from in the range the A110, the A110S, the A110GT and the A110 R with pricing from just over €92k.The anticipation returned instantly and higher and I could not have been happier.

The A100 is from Alpine, the sports division of Renault and proudly French. There’s French clues all around the car.

It has a very rich heritage but until 2025, wasn't available in Ireland - the original Alpine 110 stems from a model in the 1960’s.

Thankfully that’s changed because it’s scheduled to be discontinued some time in 2026 and I predict it is going to be a future classic and collector’s item.

The Alpine A110 is a mid-engined coupé that prioritises lightweight agility over all-out performance. It weighs 1,109 kg and does this by using an all-aluminium structure - no rust.

It looks stunning with quite an amount of styling cues from the original A110. My favourite design features are the air intakes behind the driver’s and passenger’s windows and they were right not to mess with the quad lights up front much.The double-wishbone suspension delivers a back saving, comfortable and, critically, a sporty ride.

The S model has 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 300hp that’s good for 0-100km/h in 4.2s that’s faster than a Porsche Cayman and Golf R by way of measurement. Isn’t it great that a petrol engined car is still being made that soothes the cravings of petrolheads but it feels like an ominous sign that we are nostalgic for petrol in 2026.

Get it while you can as Alpine will be all-electric soon.

We loaded up for the weekend with more than enough storage space in the boot (96 L) and frunk (100 L) for our bags.

On the way back we bought some salmon for Christmas and this went in the front as the rear boot warms up from the engine that's behind the seats but in front of the rear axle.

Above: Interior of the Alpine 110 S

This car is a pure dream to drive. The roads around the Burren felt like they were designed to avoid any straight sections and on these roads is where the A110 is most at home. The narrow A110 was the perfect car for these delightful roads. Motorways are boring but R roads are perfect for the A110 to show its capabilities.

For your money you get razor sharp handling. Point the steering wheel where you want to go and it goes there - reassuringly and reliably every time.

The low centre of gravity assures this and the sports seats support you against the associated lateral movement in bends because this car ain’t going sideways - you are.

The instantaneous aural sound pleasure from the movement of your foot on the accelerator must be the same for an orchestra conductor when musicians respond to his waving wand.

The sounds this car makes are symphonic and real, no computers used here. In Sport mode there's a valve that opens on the active exhaust that produces pops and bangs when you change down gears. It signals to you, and everyone, that this is a proper sports car.

The exceptional brakes only needed gentle pressure to set the car up for whatever unfolds on your route. It charms and rewards and is capable of being driven by anyone regardless of experience.

The car is automatic only with paddles either side of the steering wheel with drive selection in the centre in triangle format. That’s where I eventually found the cruise controls for the motorway on the way back.

A few oddities were no blind spot technology in my A110 S, no lane departure, the satellite radio controls are set too low behind the steering wheel, the infotainment screen could be more befitting a car of its calibre and practically no internal storage space.

You get those fab seats though with alcantara finishing.

In my fantasy garage of just 10 cars there’s a reserved place for an Alpine A110. There are not many competitors nowadays for the A110. There’s the Cayman, Audi TT RS and the BMW M2.

They all have their appeal but the purists out there would I’m sure opt for the A110. That Alpine name has a heritage cache about it too that should appeal to the knowing.

My motoring highlight of 2025 was being told they’d miracled up an A110 and boy did it not disappoint.