The new Alpine A424_ß concept will take to the track in the 2024 World Endurance Championship and compete at Le Mans next year.
This is the Alpine A424_ß: a concept that will soon become reality, signalling the French brand’s return to the top flight of endurance racing. When it hits the track next year, it’ll compete in the LMDh class of the World Endurance Championship.
The first ‘4’ of the name is said to reference the Renault Alpine A442B which took the brand’s last overall victory at the 1978 running of the 24-hour race, while the ‘24’ nods to both the length of the race, and the year in which the car will hit the track.
Alpine will partner with Oreca for the car’s chassis (one of four manufacturers open to the LMDh category), while the cars will be run by Signatech. Signatech and Alpine have worked together for many years, resulting in two WEC Championship titles – in 2016 and 2018-19 – in the LMP2 class, plus third overall at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
While F1’s cost cap has reduced the time that its power units can go on the dyno, Alpine Hypercar’s chief engineer, Christophe Chapelain, says that the restriction “frees up dyno hours”, for the Mecachrome unit to be tested. F1 engineers were also involved in the V6’s development from the start, which enabled them to “draw up specifications, define the architecture and calibrate it for the desired performance range. As per the LMDh regulations, the V6 unit is combined with the standardised Getrag gearbox, Bosch hybrid system and a Williams battery.
Those regulations also allow plenty of freedom with the exterior design, something which has enabled the A424_ß to project Alpine’s brand identity on the dramatic prototype body. Intricate LED headlights sit at the car’s front, while the tail lights display the brand’s A-Arrow signature. The Alpine Alpenglow concept, first revealed last year, lends much of its overall shape, but particularly the detailing along the A424’s flanks. A central fin runs from the roof-mounted air intake through to the huge rear wing assembly.
The A424_ß’s positioning in the LMDh category will place it in direct competition with existing entries from Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac and Vanwall, while Lamborghini also intends to enter the class in 2024. In addition, it puts them up against reigning World Endurance champions Toyota and French rivals Peugeot, which both compete in the LMH class, with Balance of Performance regulations allowing the cars to compete on a similar footing.