Bernard Ollivier, the current head of Alpine, recently stated that the brand's return will take place in 2017 and not next year as initially planned. The possibility of further delays remained in the air. We have three reasons to explain why.
1st – Concept Celebration relaunches an entire brand and nothing can fail
Ollivier doesn't risk Alpine's only relaunch opportunity by marking a precise date on the calendar. The production version of the Celebration concept is not just the launch of yet another new model, but the responsibility of relaunching an entire brand will fall to it. Nothing can fail.
It has to generate enough impact to relaunch and make the brand known, as Alpine, despite a rich and triumphant history – was the first brand to win the WRC constructors' title in 1973 and won Le Mans in 1978 -, it must be unknown to the majority of the public and, dare we say, even to some car enthusiasts.
Plans for the return of historic Alpine are long gone. Since the beginning of the century, numerous rumors and statements have been published in the press in this regard. Finally, in 2012, decisive steps were taken, with the announcement of a joint venture between Renault and Caterham that would develop between them a new sports car with a rear mid-engine and rear-wheel drive. The narrative was complicated in 2014 with the announcement of the end of this partnership. Both brands proceeded independently of the remaining development of the project.
This year we got to know Alpine Celebration, and as the name suggests, it served as a pretext to celebrate the brand's 60th anniversary. Presented at Le Mans, supporting the brand's efforts in the competition, where it participates in the LMP2 category, it would reappear weeks later, at the Goodwood Festival, with an alternative color scheme. The typical blue associated with the brand is present in both iterations. This chromatic option is distant in time, at a time when the nationality of the builders was associated with a specific color, with France being represented with this deep shade of blue.
2nd – Concept “I just knew it”
The concept itself lets you guess what we might see on the roads in two years' time. Perhaps too shy for the typical spectacularity of a concept, as Alpine itself demonstrated so well with the Alpine Vision Gran Turismo, or the older and more credible A110-50, the Celebration looks ready to enter the production line tomorrow. The images we provide from the patent registration seem to confirm this.
Heavily inspired by the most famous Alpine of all, the A110 or Berlinette, the Celebration is a two-seater coupe, rear mid-engine and rear-wheel drive. Not much is known about the characteristics of this sports compact, but past statements point to values in the order of 250hp and a weight below a ton. The latest rumors say that the heart of this machine will be an evolution of the 1.6 Turbo of the Renault Clio RS, but with a capacity increased to 1.8 liters.
For a sports car that promises strong emotions, the style appears to be too discreet, something lacking in emotion. The excessive approximation to the A110 muse seems to date its style precociously, even though it is objectively well achieved and proportionate. But where is the emotion that makes us want one instinctively?
3rd – The pressure from the competition is too high
Alpine's sporting future will have the Alfa Romeo 4C as its most obvious competitor, both with similar characteristics. Stand next to each other and notice the precious visual ingredients missing from Celebration. The Alfa Romeo 4C has the stylistic genes of a supercar, passionate and dramatic like few others, capable of generating the most primal responses in the enthusiast in us. Alpine seems too composed and rational to provoke a response of the same kind.
Is Alpine Celebration's style one of the main reasons for delaying its release? Bernard Ollivier's statements are generic but seem to go in that direction, saying they are taking into account the opinions of people, or potential customers, who have been watching Celebration, even if their focus is not just on the car's styling. Changes could be on the way, with Ollivier hoping that the car is guaranteed to be a good one in the end.
Unfortunately, it looks like we'll have to wait some more time before we definitely get to know the sports car that will make Alpine return. Keep the images.
