Photo: Alpine
Now that the A110 has been reborn for the 21st century, it’s high time for Alpine’s racing arm to show what the marque is made of in a competitive environment. In this regard, the 2017 motorsport season finds Alpine fielding the A470 in the hard-knock world of endurance racing. And would you just look at it!
Sure it would’ve been bonkers if the A110 would’ve taken up the challenge in the A470’s stead, but the latter is a marvelous machine in its own right. Wearing the iconic Bleu Alpine paintwork and boasting a white roof, the visual delight is taken up a notch by a selection of gloss black and carbon fiber. The A470 is also gifted with a subtle racing stripe designed to portray France’s flag. Appropriate, I’d say.
Built for the LMP2 class of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship, the all-new Alpine racecar has big shoes to fill. The preceding A460 won last year’s Le Mans Prototype 2 championship after the number 36 crew secured four wins and finished twice on the podium. It’s rather obvious, then, that Alpine is hungry for yet another title, but will the A470 deliver on that? It all depends on the team, frankly.
This year’s regulations saw the FIA homologate four chassis and a single engine supplier. Therefore, the A470 will employ a 600-ish hp V8 developed by Gibson Technology. The 4.2-liter naturally aspirated engine is matched to an X-Trac six-speed sequential transmission. Bearing in mind this thing tips the scales at just 930 kilograms (2,050 pounds), the Alpine A470 will be devilishly quick and fast.
"With a car like the Alpine A470, the LMP2 class is really entering a new era,” commented Nicolas Lapierre, the French team’s star driver. “The feeling behind the wheel was very good straight away. The attention that has been paid to every detail is impressive and it means that the handling is excellent. I can’t wait to get back out on the track."
Built for the LMP2 class of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship, the all-new Alpine racecar has big shoes to fill. The preceding A460 won last year’s Le Mans Prototype 2 championship after the number 36 crew secured four wins and finished twice on the podium. It’s rather obvious, then, that Alpine is hungry for yet another title, but will the A470 deliver on that? It all depends on the team, frankly.
This year’s regulations saw the FIA homologate four chassis and a single engine supplier. Therefore, the A470 will employ a 600-ish hp V8 developed by Gibson Technology. The 4.2-liter naturally aspirated engine is matched to an X-Trac six-speed sequential transmission. Bearing in mind this thing tips the scales at just 930 kilograms (2,050 pounds), the Alpine A470 will be devilishly quick and fast.
"With a car like the Alpine A470, the LMP2 class is really entering a new era,” commented Nicolas Lapierre, the French team’s star driver. “The feeling behind the wheel was very good straight away. The attention that has been paid to every detail is impressive and it means that the handling is excellent. I can’t wait to get back out on the track."
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