New Alpine Prototype Seen at Le Mans

By Gijsbert-Paul Berk

Shedding light on the Alpine rebirth

Just two hours before the start of this year’s 24 Hour of Le Mans, spectators got a surprise glimpse of a speeding blue sports coupé. It was the first public appearance of the new Alpine Celebration AS 1 (for Alpine Sport).

This appearance of the new Alpine was also a birthday party to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the company that made the name Alpine famous by producing small Renault-based and rally winning sports cars.

The prototype of new Alpine Celebration AS 1 being presented on the circuit of Le Mans.

However, many Alpine fans that witnessed the presentation were not only surprised but also slightly confused, for several reasons.

First, the body style of this latest Alpine coupé differs considerably from the Renault Alpine A120 concept car presented three years ago in 2012 at the occasion of the GP de Monaco. That racy sports coupé was created under the supervision of Renault’s design director Laurence van den Acker and even today looks very futuristic and dynamic.

This A120, presented at Monte Carlo during the 2012 Grand Prix, was the first concept for a new Alpine.

Second, last January, at the Festival Automobile International in Paris, Alpine exhibited the Alpine Vision Grand Tourismo concept. Although it was known that this project started life as an idea by Kazunori Yamauchi from Polyphony Digital for a video game, it was no secret that the realization of the full size prototype of this tantalizing open sports car was the result of teamwork led by Antony Villain, responsible for design at Alpine.

In January 2015 the Alpine Vision Grand Tourismo concept drew huge crowds at the Festival Automobile International. Its technical specifications: V8 engine of 4,494 cc, developing 450 bhp and 580 Nm., With a sequential gearbox with seven gears. The yellow coupé on the background is an original Alpine A110.

Therefore many enthusiasts hoped and more or less expected that the new Alpine, that was to be launched at Le Mans this year, would be a real competition car and a worthy successor of the Signatech-Alpine that since 2012 ran – with mixed success – in the LMP 2 category at various endurance races.

Third, because no one, not even the press, received any technical information, apart from the fact that the new Alpine will be powered by a mid-engine of about 250 bhp, driving the rear wheels. But nothing about the power train: ‘Hybrid’ or not? Neither was there any information about the construction or the materials used for the body or the weight of the new car.

On the positive side, three things are certain now.

Carlos Gnosn, the President of the Renault-Nissan Group, has given the green light for this long-awaited French sports car to go into production. Since 1972 Renault has owned the make Alpine and the French carmaker has just pledged to invest 600 million Euros to manufacture the new AS1 in the historic Alpine site at Dieppe (in the department of Seine-Maritime). Eventually this factory must be capable to produce some 3000 units per year

However, it will not be marketed as a Renault-Alpine but simply as an Alpine.

Why the suspense?

The question arises: Why all this suspense and secrecy? Is it part of a Marketing or PR strategy?

Those who have followed the Alpine adventure in recent times think otherwise. Around the year 2000, Carlos Tavares, then the ambitious CEO of Renault, started promoting the idea to revive the make Alpine he had two clear objectives; to enrich the Renault range with a prestigious premium model, while at the same time cashing in on the success of the engines Renault supplied to F 1 teams, such as Red Bull. The name Alpine must thus act as an image booster.

A team at Renault, supervised by Laurence van den Acker, did the design of the Alpine A120. And with the large ‘Lozenge’ logo and the letters it is clearly a Renault product.

When the economic downturn proved deeper and longer than anticipated, the priorities at Renault had to be adapted and the Alpine project was temporarily put on ice. Then on August 29, 2013 Taveras, after a boardroom clash with his boss Carlos Gnosn, suddenly left Renault, later to become the CEO of rival Peugeot.

No more a Renault logo or Renault-Alpine on the nose…only the name Alpine. Is Renault following the marketing formula of Citroën, which just created DS as an independent make?

It is now obvious that the new Alpine management has opted for a cautious and rather conservative approach. Their goal must be to produce a modern sports coupé that not only has the potential to be successful in rallies and on the track, but also has the potential to ensure a satisfactory return on investment.

Style Alpine

Alpine’s Antony Villain concedes that for the AS1 they have deliberately chosen a body style that resembles the iconic A110 ‘Berlinette’ from the nineteen sixties. Considering the success of the Volkswagen Beetle, the Mini and the Fiat 500, there is nothing wrong with some ‘retro’ influences.

The original Alpine A110, earned quite a reputation as a formidable rally car.

Adherents and readers of VeloceToday are of course well aware that the original glassfibre-bodied Alpine A110 ‘Berlinette’ was the fruit of the collaboration between the young Renault dealer and rally driver Jean Rédélé, also the founder of Alpine, and the Italian body designer Giovanni Michelotti.

Interviewed by Bertrand Bellois of the French magazine L’argus, Bernard Ollivier, president of the Société des Automobiles Alpine declared:
” Indeed there is an visual link with the famous Berlinette. But this is the Alpine of the twenty first century. Customers no longer accept to have to contort themselves to get into their car. They want comfort and quality. A car that provides sporting performances but can equally be used for daily commuting. The new Alpine is a functional sports coupé but it is not a luxury toy. Every line and each styling element has an aerodynamic function”.

He also stated: “This concept car must be seen as a laboratory to test the reactions of the target group”. Asked what would happen if the feedback was unfavorable he replied: “Then we to go back to the drawing board”.

Bernard Ollivier, CEO of the Société des Automobiles Alpine with his baby: ”This is the Alpine of the twenty first century. Every line and each styling element has an aerodynamic function”.

Questioned if the production version of the new Alpine AS1 will be launched at or around the Paris Motor Show in October 2016, Bernard Ollivier replied: “We have not yet fixed a date for the introduction. Because we are well aware that our Alpine has only one chance to succeed at its revival. Therefore we have to be 100% sure that the car is perfect before it can be commercialized”.

Three quarter rear view. Antony Villain admitted to have deliberately chosen a body style for the new Alpine AS1, that visually resembles the iconic A110 ‘Berlinette’ from the 1960s.

Insiders expect that at first sales will be limited to the nearby European markets. This way it is easier to monitor and rapidly rectify eventual teething troubles. But it is hoped that by the end of 2017 the car will gradually become available in China, Japan, the Gulf states and also in Latin America. Remember that the original Alpine’s were also produced in several South American countries and still have many enthusiastic fans in that part of the world.

Some French journalist have written that the new Alpine AS1 coupé is going to cost 30,000 Euro, but in my personal opinion this seems wildly optimistic. I believe that it will be priced to be competitive with the Alfa Romeo 4C coupé.