Photo: Alpine
French carmaker Alpine just took the first step in joining the premier category of the FIA World Endurance Championship by unveiling the A424_β. The show car will morph into a full-blown LMDh-class Hypercar in time for the 2024 racing season, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Unveiled precisely 60 years after Alpne's first entry at Le Mans, the A424_β was showcased at the team's new paddock near Circuit de la Sarthe. The latter hosts the 100th-anniversary edition of the endurance race from June 10 to 11.
Developed in cooperation with race car experts Oreca, the A424_β shares a few design cues with the futuristic Alpenglow concept but doesn't stray too far from LMDh specs. Alpine-specific features aside, it employs the same canopy-style cabin and massive central fin that reaches into the rear wing. Needless to say, it looks decidedly aggressive.
An all carbon-fiber car, the A424_β packs a single-turbo, 3.4-liter V6 engine rated at 675 horsepower and a 50-kW hybrid system. The total output remains a mystery, but it hits the wheels through a seven-speed Xtrac gearbox. As for the name, it includes the familiar three-digit scheme beginning with four, a tribute to successful Alpine race cars from the past. The β designates the car's final stage before the official launch.
Alpine plans to commence testing in August 2023, with a second session scheduled in September. It will be followed by wind-tunnel testing for homologation in November and the final FIA homologation in late December. The A424 will be ready to race in early 2024 and will debut at the 6 Hours of Qatar in March.
Meanwhile, Alpine will tackle the LMP2 category of the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans with two Oreca 07-Gibson racers. Car no. 35 will be driven by Olli Caldwell, Andre Negrao, and Memo Rojas, while Julien Canal, Charles Milesi, and Matthieu Vaxiviere will manhandle car no. 36.
The premier category is contested by Cadillac, Porsche, Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, and Glickenhaus, which will most likely return to race alongside Alpine in 2024.
While the event celebrates 100 years since the first running of the endurance race, Alpine celebrates 60 years since it joined Le Mans. It did so with the M63, a heavily modified version of the A110 powered by a 1.0-liter engine. All three cars retired, but one managed to run for 23 hours. Alpine returned in 1964 to score a class win with the A110 M64, also winning the Index of Thermal Efficiency.
The French outfit scored class wins at Le Mans from 1966 to 1969, basically dominating the small-displacement categories. Alpine abandoned Le Mans in 1970 and didn't return until 1975. One year later, the French team began working on the A442, eventually giving Alpine its first overall win in 1978. The company did not return to defend its title, but privateers continued racing Alpine cars through the 1990s.
Alpine returned to endurance racing in 2013 and scored an LMP2 class win (and fifth overall) in 2016. In 2021, the Alpine A480 completed the podium behind a pair of Toyota GR010 Hybrids. Will the A424 have what it takes to win Le Mans? Well, I guess we will have to wait for 12 months to find out.
Developed in cooperation with race car experts Oreca, the A424_β shares a few design cues with the futuristic Alpenglow concept but doesn't stray too far from LMDh specs. Alpine-specific features aside, it employs the same canopy-style cabin and massive central fin that reaches into the rear wing. Needless to say, it looks decidedly aggressive.
An all carbon-fiber car, the A424_β packs a single-turbo, 3.4-liter V6 engine rated at 675 horsepower and a 50-kW hybrid system. The total output remains a mystery, but it hits the wheels through a seven-speed Xtrac gearbox. As for the name, it includes the familiar three-digit scheme beginning with four, a tribute to successful Alpine race cars from the past. The β designates the car's final stage before the official launch.
Alpine plans to commence testing in August 2023, with a second session scheduled in September. It will be followed by wind-tunnel testing for homologation in November and the final FIA homologation in late December. The A424 will be ready to race in early 2024 and will debut at the 6 Hours of Qatar in March.
Meanwhile, Alpine will tackle the LMP2 category of the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans with two Oreca 07-Gibson racers. Car no. 35 will be driven by Olli Caldwell, Andre Negrao, and Memo Rojas, while Julien Canal, Charles Milesi, and Matthieu Vaxiviere will manhandle car no. 36.
The premier category is contested by Cadillac, Porsche, Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, and Glickenhaus, which will most likely return to race alongside Alpine in 2024.
While the event celebrates 100 years since the first running of the endurance race, Alpine celebrates 60 years since it joined Le Mans. It did so with the M63, a heavily modified version of the A110 powered by a 1.0-liter engine. All three cars retired, but one managed to run for 23 hours. Alpine returned in 1964 to score a class win with the A110 M64, also winning the Index of Thermal Efficiency.
The French outfit scored class wins at Le Mans from 1966 to 1969, basically dominating the small-displacement categories. Alpine abandoned Le Mans in 1970 and didn't return until 1975. One year later, the French team began working on the A442, eventually giving Alpine its first overall win in 1978. The company did not return to defend its title, but privateers continued racing Alpine cars through the 1990s.
Alpine returned to endurance racing in 2013 and scored an LMP2 class win (and fifth overall) in 2016. In 2021, the Alpine A480 completed the podium behind a pair of Toyota GR010 Hybrids. Will the A424 have what it takes to win Le Mans? Well, I guess we will have to wait for 12 months to find out.
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