Alpine A110 S

Only 30 of the 600 cars in Dream Car Garage pair an inline-4 engine layout with rear-wheel drive, placing the Alpine A110 S in a small and distinctive part of the catalogue. That combination is the thread that defines this car: not a pursuit of the biggest numbers, but a compact specification built around a particular balance.

The A110 S sits in a category where context matters more than headline figures. Its 296 bhp places it 510th of 600 for power, meaning it is not among the catalogue’s highest-output machines. Yet its 0-100 km/h time of 4.2 seconds is quicker than 254 cars in the collection, ranking 346th overall. The gap between those positions explains the character of the package. The Alpine does more with its available performance than a simple power comparison suggests.

Its engineering layout supports that approach. The 1.8-litre turbocharged inline-4 sends 320 Nm through the rear wheels, with a top speed of 260 km/h. Among the 600 cars, 58 are turbocharged inline-4 models, but only 30 inline-4 cars pair that layout with RWD. The A110 S sits inside that narrower group while also representing one of just 23 catalogue cars from France. Alpine itself contributes three cars to the collection, giving this model a clear place within a smaller family of entries.

The A110 S is a 2019 two seater fixed-head coupé that occupies a different space from cars defined primarily by outright output. Its used price of £55,000 places it 415th among the 600 for cost, making it more expensive than 185 cars in the catalogue. At £186 per bhp, the calculation reflects a car where the appeal rests in the complete specification rather than simply the largest performance figure.

For a collector building a garage from 600 choices, the Alpine A110 S introduces a rare technical pairing and a French perspective without relying on extremes. It is not the catalogue’s fastest car, ranking 403rd for top speed, and it is not its most powerful, but its 4.2-second acceleration places it comfortably ahead of many alternatives. The result is a car that occupies its own measured corner of the collection, where the numbers point towards a focused balance rather than a contest for the top of any single chart.