Alpine is supposedly on track to debut in North America in 2027, but when it does, it’ll leave its lightweight, mid-engine A110 sports car at home as it works toward an all-electric lineup. Of course, this isn’t what anyone asked for when we first laid eyes on the A110 and pleaded Alpine to bring its wares Stateside, making it something of a monkey’s paw moment for fans of the brand on this side of the pond. Presumably to twist the knife just that little bit deeper, Alpine, Zagato, and Poland’s purveyor of exotics La Squadra are set to unveil a coachbuilt version of the A110, called the AGTZ Twin Tail, in Italy this weekend.
The AGTZ is essentially a boutique A110 that also costs upwards of $700,000, which would ordinarily get you about seven A110s. It’s a clear tribute to Alpine’s V8-powered A220 Le Mans prototype of the late ’60s, but the AGTZ still rocks the normal car’s 1.8-liter four-cylinder. In other words, performance isn’t the goal here.
Disappointing as the powertrain situation is, I’m very much a fan of the exterior design of this thing. Massive headlight covers over round sealed beams always win me over; they looked wonderful on the original Alfa 33 Stradale, they looked wonderful on every Group C car ever, and once again, they look wonderful here. But what’s interesting about the AGTZ is that the rear is modular, offering owners the opportunity to switch between short and long tails. In long-tail guise, the AGTZ sports the Alpine tri-color livery treatment of the brand’s classic racers, and takes on the appearance of a baby McLaren Speedtail. Turbofan wheels complete the retro-forward look.
Sure, there’s something a little silly about the AGTZ’s overall proportions. It almost looks like when someone takes a Japanese kei car and molds it into a parody of a legendary supercar or single-seater prototype. It’s cosplaying something lower, leaner and, generally, meaner. I wouldn’t spend my better part of a million dollars on it, that’s for sure. But seeing as how I’ll never be in a position to do that anyway, I can still appreciate this thing purely in pictures.
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