• Alpine is celebrating six decades of ‘foot-to-the-floor’ heritage : the brand is set to steal the spotlight by unveiling a new show car, the Alpine Celebration. Conceived especially for Le Mans, it will take to the track at La Sarthe at 1:35pm local time on Saturday, June 13, as part of the build-up to the start of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours. It will then go on public display in the circuit’s ‘Village’ area.
• In addition to featuring the iconic colours of legendary models from the brand’s illustrious past, this show car is the very embodiment of Alpine’s sporting DNA.
• This weekend will be a particularly busy one for Alpine : after the new show car laps the circuit in front of some 250,000 spectators and television cameras broadcasting all around the world, the brand will return to the track with the A450b prototype which is contesting the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours in the LMP2 class, crewed by Signatech-Alpine’s all-French driver line-up.

Bernard Ollivier, CEO, Société des Automobiles Alpine :
« As we mark Alpine’s 60th anniversary, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest has generously granted us an exclusive opportunity to unveil the Alpine Celebration show car. It will complete a lap of this legendary circuit. That’s an immense honour for us and a genuinely emotional occasion. I have no doubt that this will be just as keenly appreciated by Alpine fans and the spectating public in general, some of whom might be discovering the brand for the first time. They will be left with a strong impression of the style and agility of the Alpine Celebration. I am sure they will associate this image with the values that we hold dear and the sporting flame that continues to drive and inspire us. »

The Alpine Celebration at Le Mans – iconic blue to mark 60 years of passion

A unique and stylish new show car, the Alpine Celebration, has been released as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the brand that was founded by Jean Rédélé. This surprise, emotional launch comes on the eve of the 83rd edition of the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours.

The Le Mans 24 Hours regularly attracts more than 250,000 motoring and motor racing fans – sportscar aficionados drawn from every corner of the globe – and is arguably the highest-profile event on the international motorsport calendar. It is a technological, human and sporting challenge that has been organised by the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) since 1923. The race is broadcast on television to more than 800 million viewers across some 190 countries, with three million visitors to the official website and many more still on social media.

That is why Alpine’s surprise unveiling needed to be worthy of the prestige of this event.

A compact sportscar inspired by Alpine’s motorsport heritage, the Alpine Celebration takes the form of a two-seater coupé whose sleek, flowing lines are underlined by its deep blue colour scheme. This same blue – enhanced by hints of orange – also adorns the Alpine prototypes that made a triumphant return to endurance racing in 2013. It is a livery that harkens back to the Alpine models which played such a pivotal role in the brand’s original Le Mans adventure when, from 1963 to 1969, the M63, M64, M65, A210, A220 and even the A110 so valiantly upheld French honour in La Sarthe.
The Alpine Celebration faithfully replicates the timeless style of Alpines of old whilst adding a modern twist.

An acknowledgement of the past and a celebration of the present...

The Alpine Celebration will follow in the wheel tracks of an A110 as it completes its lap of honour of the Le Mans circuit, almost making it appear as if the Berlinette – so emblematic of the Alpine brand and French motorsport in general – had returned in a contemporary guise. The direct lineage between the two cars is clear to see, seamlessly linking the past to the future. What’s more, the determination to once again take on big-name rivals is palpably intact.
The A110 predominantly owes its fame to its dual personality as both a desirable road-going sportscar and at the same time a motorsport icon. It boasts a sparkling record, claiming a long list of victories over the course of a long and glittering career that was capped by the Manufacturers’ crown in the 1973 World Rally Championship. Yet the Berlinette was in fact quite the all-rounder, even producing commendable performances on the racetrack – an area that was not its natural habitat. This was evidenced by the A110 GT’s eye-catching efforts in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Indeed, it never shied away from taking the fight to more fancied rivals on any type of terrain. This giant-killing approach has characterised every phase of Alpine’s history in motorsport. The same spirit, enthusiasm and constant thirst for new challenges and adventures continue to inspire the teams that are now so passionately involved in the brand’s return.