Le Mans Yesterday and Today: Alpine

Alpine, founded by Jean Rédélé in 1955, has been closely tied to Renault from its early years. Known for its light, competition-focused cars, Alpine’s emblematic model, the A110, became a symbol of agility and performance. It celebrated major victories, including first and second places at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1971 and winning the Constructors' World Championship in 1973. Renault's acquisition of Alpine that same year integrated it fully into the French group, and from then on, Renault would use the Alpine brand as its platform for pursuing sporting success—spanning from the 24 Hours of Le Mans to Formula 1.

Alpine’s first foray into the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe dates back to the early 1960s, with its debut in 1963 at the challenging 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This appearance marked the introduction of the M63 prototype, based on the A110. Unfortunately, the event proved challenging, with all three entries withdrawing due to mechanical issues and a tragic accident involving Brazilian driver Christian Heins. Yet Rédélé persisted, and the following year, he returned to Le Mans with the modified M64. This iteration managed a brilliant finish, marking an impressive improvement.

Alpine fields the M64 at Le Mans in 1964, winning its class and the Performance Index, awarded for the most fuel-efficient car over the race.

The team’s first significant triumph at Le Mans came in 1966 with a new vehicle that dominated the podium in the sub-1300cc category, achieving an impressive triple podium. Known as the A210, this car was both highly competitive and reliable, and it repeated its class sweep the following year, claiming the top three places again. The A220, though also well-regarded, did not achieve similar success. Created for the 1968 and 1969 editions of the 24 Hours, it is remembered for a clever design that allowed drivers to switch between a long and short tail by attaching or removing a rear extension.

Alpine achieves its first major Le Mans success in 1966 with the A210, sweeping the podium in its class with an impressive triple finish.

In 1975, after Renault acquired a majority stake in Alpine, the brand returned to Le Mans with renewed ambition for an overall win. The new model, designed to meet the Sport Prototype category’s 2000 cc requirements, was called the Renault-Alpine A441. Its design immediately stood out for both its performance and aesthetic efficiency. Piloted by renowned drivers such as Larrousse, Jabouille, and Serpaggi, the car claimed multiple wins. It was powered by a naturally aspirated Renault Gordini V6 engine. As part of testing, it was entered in the 1975 24 Hours with a strong female duo, Marie-Claude Beaumont and Lella Lombardi, who managed an impressive fourth place overall and first in class at the Monza 1000 Kilometres, despite technical issues eventually forcing their retirement. This car served as the foundation for the A442, which would compete for the top title at Le Mans.

Renault-Alpine’s first prototype to aim for the outright win at Le Mans debuted in 1975, featuring a female crew with Marie-Claude Beaumont and Lella Lombardi.

The V6 engine was then upgraded with a turbocharger, showing promising development in turbo technology, which was still largely experimental. However, reliability issues hindered its performance at Le Mans in both 1976 and 1977, with the car retiring both years despite leading the race. In 1977, Renault-Alpine sought additional support for turbo development by supplying engines to John Wyer’s team, which fielded two Mirage GR8s. This move paid off: while the A442s faced mechanical setbacks, the Mirage Renault, driven by Jean-Pierre Jarier and Vern Schuppan, achieved an impressive second place.

In 1978, Renault-Alpine’s efforts finally bore fruit, as Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud drove the A442 to a long-awaited victory at Le Mans, besting Porsche’s 936s, which had dominated the previous two races. With the Le Mans win achieved, Renault president Bernard Hanon, known for his ambitious vision, set a new goal: to conquer Formula 1 with a 1500cc turbo engine against naturally aspirated 3000cc competitors—a goal that would eventually lead to success, though that’s another story.

In 1978, Renault-Alpine’s hard work was rewarded with a victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud in the A442.

Alpine would not return to the Circuit de la Sarthe until the 2000s, re-entering the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013 in the LMP2 category in collaboration with Philippe Sinault’s Signatech team. Together, they won the LMP2 class in 2016, 2018, and 2019. This success marked a revival for Alpine, which around the same time relaunched its road cars with a modernized version of the classic A110.

Alpine returns to Le Mans in 2013 in the LMP2 class, achieving class victories in 2016, 2018, and 2019 with the Signatech team.

Alpine’s ascent continued in 2021 with its debut in the Hypercar category, the new top tier of endurance racing, fielding the A480 powered by a Gibson engine. This model achieved a third-place finish with drivers Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão, and Matthieu Vaxivière. In 2024, Alpine opens a new chapter with the introduction of the A424 hybrid, created in collaboration with Mecachrome, Williams Engineering, and Bosch. Despite an initial double retirement at Le Mans, the A424 showed its potential with a third-place finish at Japan’s Fuji 6 Hours, fueling optimism for another attempt to capture a second Le Mans win.

Alpine unveils its new A424 hybrid Hypercar in 2024, aiming for a second outright victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1978.