2024 Alpine A110 R vs. 2015 Lotus Evora GTE

Far costlier and a huge amount rarer, yet no more power - we've seen a sports car like the A110 R before...

Curious thing, the Alpine A110 R. It costs as much as many more powerful sports cars, has the kind of carbon-led, obsessive weight saving more commonly associated with million-pound exotica (in a compact four-cylinder sports car) and is noticeably less usable than the surprisingly civilised standard version. It really shouldn’t make any sense whatsoever - many will tell you already that it doesn’t - yet here’s the rub: it’s absolutely wonderful. Partly that's due to what it’s based on, of course, but the methodical and expensive changes have made it even more enthralling to drive. Which didn’t seem possible.

The R doesn’t have any direct rivals, really, so the opportunity to drive it alongside a mid-engined sports car of both similar quality and remit was irresistible. Nobody is buying an A110 like this because they need one, obviously, which is why a comparison-cum-celebration with a Lotus Evora was so intriguing. There are likely all sorts of options being considered if a £100k Alpine is viable, so is it really as sublime as it seems in isolation? Landmark mid-engined sports car, meet landmark mid-engined sports car.

As is often the case with Lotus, the Evora GTE was a messy project. Originally the vision of Dany Bahar, the roadgoing GTE was going to evoke the then-new racecar with dramatic bodywork (including a little help from Mansory), almost 450hp and a sequential gearbox. The project got off the ground, with 30 in build. Before Bahar’s departure, that is - and the subsequent cancellation of the GTEs. Story goes that the abandoned cars were spotted by a subsequent MD, and a decision was taken with Lotus Motorsport to build 20 with new subframes, suspension arms and wheels, harvest 10 for spares, and use the standard powertrain. Because they weren’t as exotic as first billed, there was never an official launch, the cars offered out quietly to brand enthusiasts and eventually found homes across the globe.

While it’s sad that the GTE didn’t leave Hethel as the car it was intended to be, there’s no such thing as a bad Evora - and certainly not one built by Lotus Motorsport. This one is number 14 of the 20, a left-hand drive auto for sale at Hofmanns of Henley. It has covered just 6,000 miles since 2015 and is an utterly stunning to behold. The Alpine of course attracts attention with its carbon deck, those snazzy wheels and the colour, but even it pales next to the Lotus. The broadening of an Evora (only the doors and roof are common from stock) elevates it from mere sports car to supercar levels of drama, low and wide and simmering with attitude. It makes the standard derivative look almost undernourished by comparison. If these cars are going to spend a lot of time off the road and in collections, which doesn’t seem unreasonable given the cost, there’s only one that’s going to be gawped at hour after hour. That the GTE kept a standard interior almost seems immaterial when you get out and see it once more.

Moreover, nobody is considering a sports car of this kind for cabin ambience (though it should be said the Alpine’s Sabelt buckets are awesome). They’re about the driving experience and in that respect the GTE remains a masterclass. In a downpour, there can’t be a more confidence-inspiring mid-engined car out there: the exquisite composure of the damping, the glorious communication of the steering and the unerring stability of much wider tracks (110mm) means it’s anything but the intimidating road racer it might look. This Evora rides a rubbish B road better than the left-hand drive, four-cylinder Emira we tried last year. It’s a sports car exemplar because the Evora always was. With nothing more than Sport mode for a raised rev limit, more noise and slacker assists, it’s connected, plush and pliant in all scenarios. You wouldn’t change a thing about how the Evora GTE drives.

Well, apart from the obvious bit. The standard 350hp spec of the 3.5-litre V6 can’t quite move the Evora along at a pace befitting of the GT3 look, or indeed at anywhere near the fleet-footed briskness of the Alpine. That could be addressed with some aftermarket changes, of course. What’s more of a hurdle is the six-speed auto; it’s to the Evora’s credit that the torque converter doesn’t upset the experience as much as might be expected, though there’s no escaping the fact that it’s not of the same calibre as the chassis. Taking manual control does alleviate a few problems, and the transmission’s fondness for holding a high gear is great for hearing that melodic V6 under load, though for shift speed, decisiveness and involvement, the Alpine’s dual-clutch feels like it’s from another century. It may well be.

It says a lot about the immersive qualities of both that you aren’t immediately yearning for a manual in either case (not least because the Evora’s was never fantastic). Instead, you tend to dwell on how two cars that look fit only for race tracks can deliver such a joyous road experience, fluid and adroit when so many now seem determined to pummel the tarmac into submission. Neither are at their best at really low speed, it's true, but the genius of a well-resolved passive set-up (and well-chosen components) is evident about 100m from the national speed limit sign, where these incredibly low-slung sports cars glide and flow along the sort of less-than-perfect roads that we've seen unsettle all manner of other cars.

For all its flaws, the Evora’s engine does highlight the character deficit of the Alpine’s four-cylinder. There aren’t any meaningful gripes with responsiveness, performance or efficiency - it’ll do 40mpg as well as 62mph in four seconds - but there's no charisma in the sound or proximity of such a humble motor. The Evora wants revs and rewards them (when the gearbox plays ball) with that familiar, baying howl. The A110 feels content short shifting and surfing the torque; more than enough for rapid progress, though never in the same compulsive league as the chassis. Granted, some would argue that a 1.8-litre four-pot will always lose out to a V6 when it comes to soul - and they're probably right - but we know there are more engaging versions of the same configuration out there. And with less daft exhaust pops.

Like the Lotus, though, any deeper concerns about the engine are swiftly dismissed after stringing a few corners together. Albeit in a different fashion, the Alpine is cheek-bitingly wonderful. It’s shorter, narrower and busier than an Evora which seems almost languid in comparison, yet is urgent and alert where the GTE is softer in its reactions. They share the ability to generate implacable faith, although the way the A110 plumbs the driver into its every moment makes it impossible not to dive in headfirst. The steering is fast yet never nervous, the brake pedal exceptional, and the damping a different gravy altogether: there simply isn’t an imperfection it can’t deal with in exemplary fashion. So you go again, faster. Then faster again. Even mechanically similar Alpines don’t have this same indefatigable, motorsport-inspired feel - this must be more like an A110 R-GT rally car than the Evora is a GTE racer. A result of circumstance, sure, but the point stands nonetheless. It’s magnificent.

That being said, it’s hardly a chore to get back to the Lotus. Save for the infotainment (never a high point) time hasn't been particularly unkind to the Evora. It still feels like an event. That perfect view out of the front, those great haunches behind. If ever there was an environment custom-made for the business of spirited driving, it's marked out by a scramble over those giant sills. There was a concern that bringing together cars so many years apart at similar money might expose the more senior Lotus, but save for a predictable deficiency in refinement and the Alpine's more rigorous build quality, it’s still supreme.

Neither makes much rational sense, of course. A 350hp Evora of any stripe is pretty wonderful (as are those with more power, come to think of it), and many cost a lot less than a GTE. Similarly, there hasn't been a bad A110 - and there’s unlikely to ever be - though there are plenty priced at half R money. They’re by and for a very select bunch of die-hards, those who adore the brand and wanted to see a great sports car brought to its ultimate evolution. The plan worked out better for one than the other, though after a day spent in their company you tend to dwell less on their differences and more on the thing that binds them together: namely the extent to which we've relied on cars like these to make an increasingly staid automotive world that bit more vibrant and interesting.

It’s arguable how much yearning there was for an Alpine without a rear screen or a Lotus Evora that looked like a race car but went no faster. Negligible, surely - we’d have all carried on fine without them. But to have access to them even in the pouring rain is to be reminded of how much joy the truly silly stuff can bring - it was a seven-hour privilege in a way that the standard cars wouldn’t have been. You stand incredulous at the musclebound Evora, stop and stare as it growls on by menacingly; the A110 feels like it shouldn’t have numberplates given how extreme the application of carbon fibre is. If they struggle to justify their existence on paper, they do the job much better in reality by being so extreme yet so approachable as well.

Let's hope the approach pays dividends in future, too. As Alpine commits to an all-electric future, its enthusiasm for and experience of lightweighting can only help. Central to the A110’s brilliance, and never more evident than in the R, is its lack of mass. Adopting that approach with battery-powered cars feels obligatory for retaining anything like a similar thrill behind the wheel. Alpine has effectively admitted as much. For Lotus, the GTE - despite its rarity and awkward gestation - demonstrates the way forward as well. Firstly, the Emira must have its own road racer equivalent, something like a GT4 car for the road that makes it look similarly arresting - and signs the V6 off in proper rip-roaring fashion. Secondly, as its own electrified era comes into sharper focus, those in Hethel must continue to make the case for a zero-emission sports car that exemplifies its finest traditions. Just as the GTE does not need a rip-roaring output to impress, so an electric Elise does not require 900hp.

The genius of the Evora was in simple ingredients expertly prepared. The A110 typifies that approach, too. What a shame that Lotus and Alpine could not see eye-to-eye when it came to the business of what would come next. The GTE and R might have been built a decade apart, yet they show what can be achieved when the shackles are off and the people who really care are given free rein to make something special. Born on the track, yes - but also totally at home on a wet B road and therefore precisely as we'd want them to be. Let's hope that even apart they continue to provide Lotus and Alpine with the inspiration to do something equally memorable in the future.

SPECIFICATION | 2023 ALPINE A110 R

Engine: 1,798cc, 4-cyl turbocharged
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300@6,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 251@2,400-6,000rpm
0-62mph: 3.9 seconds
Top speed: 177mph
Weight: 1,082kg (minimum kerbweight)
MPG: 40.3-41.5 (WLTP)
CO2: 153-160g/km
Price: £89,990

SPECIFICATION | LOTUS EVORA GTE

Engine: 3,456cc V6, supercharged
Power (hp): 350@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 295@4,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.7 sec
Top speed: 172mph
Weight: 1,442kg
MPG: 29.3mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 224g/km
Price: £73,950 (as tested)
(Spec for standard Evora S IPS)