It's difficult not to be cynical when discussing the Alpine sports car now. What began as a Renault/Caterham project back in 2012 hasn't really progressed a lot further since then. It was all very exciting to begin with and testing images promised a lot but they were followed by rumours of creative differences and
eventually a split
. Both have committed to pursuing individual projects following that but it's all gone rather quiet.
This seems a while ago now...
by Autocar
that an concept truly indicative of a production car will be shown at Le Mans as part of an Alpine display celebrating its success in the 24 Hours. The car is also expected at Goodwood as part of an Alpine 60-year anniversary. All that's been confirmed from Alpine is a "beautiful surprise" at Le Mans
via its minisite.
So what will it actually be? Alpine said the Vision Gran Turismo car will influence the production sports car, and the DeZir concept has already shown what a mid-engined Renault/Alpine could look like. As for powertrain we can only make educated guesses for now. Given the Alpine will be pitched around £50,000, or so we've been led to believe, it's unlikely to be anything too exotic. Could the Renaultsport Clio's turbo be tuned to create an Alfa 4C rival from Alpine? Also, given Renaultsport's recent work with Ohlins on cars like the Megane Trophy-R, some fancy dampers seem likely too.
Despite the delays, the prospect of an Alpine sports car surely remains an incredibly exciting one. Demand for the 4C has shown the appetite for these cars is definitely still there and another light, mid-engined RWD sports car would most certainly receive PH approval. All looks set to be revealed, or at least a lot more than we know now, this weekend. The PistonHeads Le Mans news will be sure to cover whatever is actually there!
[Source: Autocar, historic Alpine pics from LAT]