We now live in a world where 700 horsepower is the norm for supercars. Hell, even 700 horsepower sedans, station wagons, and Jeeps aren’t hard to find. Sports cars with 500 HP pop up every second Tuesday. The whole thing is getting out of control.

But realistically anything more than 500 HP is unusable in the real world. I understand the need for headline-grabbing horsepower these days. It’s a cheap and easy way to compensate for the extra weight gained from all the creature comforts and safety equipment modern consumers demand.

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So I’m all for bragging rights as much as the next guy, but what happened to just pure

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( Alpine in Japan loaned us one of these with a full tank of fuel for a few days.)

For starters it’s an Alpine, not a Renault. Alpine started out in 1955 with a close relationship to Renault, but both were separate companies until 1973 when Renault bought them outright. The origins of the A110 can be traced back to the early ’60s, also using Renault engines mounted in the back. Fast forward to the ’70s when the A110 we all know and love started dominating international rally series.

Even with just a 1.8-liter engine, it inspired the first rally “supercars” such as the

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The car you see in the photos here is the modern reboot. It’s that old Hollywood movie remastered with better CGI for today’s audiences. As for its layout, it stays true to the original’s recipe: a powerful 1.8-liter engine behind the driver (mid-engine not rear-engine), two-door coupe (because we have to make that distinction now) with a lightweight body.

The styling is a retro-modern nod to the original car and it works. To my eyes this is one of the prettiest cars on sale right now. To come around full circle, the new A110s are made in the same factory in Dieppe, France as the original.

It has a humble 252 HP 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbo motor in the middle, a seven-speed dual-clutch Getrag transmission, rear-wheel drive and that’s about it. It’s refreshingly simple and minimalist.

To find out just how great the A110 drives I brought to a road called Motosu-Machi. Located right next to Lake Motosu, one of the Five Fuji Lakes, it seemed like a promising road with plenty of tight and twisty corners. A darty sports car would be needed here. Nothing too wide or heavy, but it’d need to perform well should I need to outrun clouds to get a glimpse of Mount Fuji. This was the obvious choice to test a revived French sports car.

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For a sports car it was pretty damn comfortable. I was genuinely surprised at how civilized it could be cruising down the motorway. There were some noticeable road noise and it had the usual over-the-shoulder blindspot so common in this type of car but otherwise it was perfectly acceptable.

Not much is wrong with it. Seriously, as much as I tried I couldn’t find any major flaws with it. There were minor inconveniences such as the infotainment which seemed to go at its own pace. The lack of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto option was disappointing and surprising in a modern car.

Prices for the A110 start from ¥7.9 million (around $70,000) in Japan, or a much more reasonable £46,905 (around $61,000) in the UK. That puts it squarely up against the likes of the Porsche 718, Alfa Romeo 4C, BMW M2, Toyota Supra, Audi TT, and the sort. But if you think of it as being a car with McLaren level of steering feel for a third of the price, then it makes great financial sense.

A BMW M2 might be a better all-rounder but the A110 feels more special every single time you get in it. From those gorgeous looks to the quilted leather seats and the floating bridge, it just tickles you in all the right places. You can’t put a price on that. Well, Alpine has, and it’s about $70,000.

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They must doing something right though because since production started in late 2017 some 5,000 A110s have left the factory. That’s not bad for a small sports car manufacturer.

The final drive back up the Motosu-Machi to explore the lake more and try and sneak a peak at Mount Fuji confirmed it for me: I love the A110. It’s a car that feels special because it is special, able to put a bigger smile on your face as cars costing three times.

You might judge a car on its on-paper stats but in a fun and emotional sense, the A110 is one of the best cars on the market right now. Well, except in North America where it’s not available.

But this car is so good it might make you consider moving somewhere where it is.

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2019 A110

2019 A110

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Just driving joy

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Small cockpit means it can't be everything to everyone

TL;DR

Pretty much the ultimate enthusiast machine

Power

252 HP • 236 LB-FT

Weight

2,381 Pounds

Price

¥7,900,000 (~$70,000) As Tested in Japan