Here is the first two-seater Alpine hybrid

Victorious in 1978, Alpine sets out again to conquer the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a blue prototype from France, hybrid version.

Alpine’s history begins with its creation in 1955 by Jean Rédélé, a young man passionate about racing. Nearly seventy years later, the arrow-shaped A still evolves at the pinnacle of motorsport in Formula 1 and Endurance racing.

The A290, the brand’s first 100% electric city car, will be unveiled this year. This marks the beginning of a new era for Alpine, which is now shifting entirely to electric with a full range including coupe, sedan, and SUV that will gradually expand the “Dream Garage” from Dieppe.

But the A290 will not be the first electrified Alpine. Certainly, there is the line of hybrid Formula 1 cars inaugurated in 2021 with the Alpine A521, which continues in 2024 with the A524 driven by Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. However, a small new model is making its debut this year and will compete in the prestigious Hypercar category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Presented for the first time alongside the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Alpine A424 is described by the French manufacturer as the quintessence of Alpine’s automotive and sporting art, both aesthetically and technically.

Antony Villain, Alpine’s design director, and Raphaël Linari, head external and racing designer, have fully leveraged the possibilities offered by the LMDh regulation. The bodywork must incorporate the stylistic codes of the brand’s production vehicles they aim to represent, which explains the unmatched style of the A424. This prototype foreshadows Alpine’s future lighting signature on an extremely sporty and assertive front face, while the rear features two highly impactful arrow-shaped elements. The triangular motif echoing the Alpine snowflakes is also reflected in the sharp detailing of the dive planes and rear wing.

The two-seater chassis compliant with the LMDh regulation, developed in collaboration with Oreca, features a 3.4L turbo V6 engine crafted in Viry-Châtillon and a standard Bosch hybrid system delivering 30 to 50 kW depending on the circuit, for a combined power of 500 kW (670 horsepower).

The name of this prototype itself symbolizes the richness of the brand’s past and its ambitions. With A424, Alpine adheres to the naming convention of an A followed by three digits, starting with 4 to honor the tradition of victorious endurance cars, then 24, in reference to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2024.