The burgeoning international endurance racing scene will gain yet another headline manufacturer in 2024: Alpine has revealed a concept car, previewing the racing car it will enter in the top Hypercar category.

The Alpine A424_β is a dramatic show car but it’s a close representation of the racing car which will race in both the World Endurance Championship (including the Le Mans 24 Hour race) and the American IMSA championship in 2024 and beyond.

The first ‘4’ in its name is a reference to Alpine’s last Le Mans winner – the A442B, driven to victory by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and Didier Pironi 45 years ago in 1978. The ‘24’ is a reference to the Le Mans 24 Hour race, and the beta symbol signifies that it’s not quite the finished article. The real racing car will fire up its engine for the first time at the end of June, and undergo its first shakedown later in July 2023.

The A424_β has been created in collaboration with Signatech, the motorsport engineering company which has been Alpine’s sportscar racing partner for the last 10 years. It’s been a fruitful partnership so far: Alpine has won European Le Mans and World Endurance titles in the LMP2 category, and has raced in the top category using a converted LMP1 car in 2021 and 2022, with no little success. Signatech will co-run Alpine’s factory team in 2024 but the Alpine is looking to attract customer teams too.

Rather than a full-blown LMH-class Hypercar, as raced at Le Mans in 2023 by Ferrari, Peugeot and Glickenhaus, the Alpine will race in the LMDh class, as chosen by Porsche. LMDh cars are capable of fighting for overall victory with the LMH cars but have less technical freedom, using a customer chassis created by one of four official suppliers, and using a spec gearbox, battery and hybrid system.

Rather than a full-blown LMH-class Hypercar, as raced at Le Mans in 2023 by Ferrari, Peugeot and Glickenhaus, the Alpine will race in the LMDh class, as chosen by Porsche. LMDh cars are capable of fighting for overall victory with the LMH cars but have less technical freedom, using a customer chassis created by one of four official suppliers, and using a spec gearbox, battery and hybrid system.

Rather than a full-blown LMH-class Hypercar, as raced at Le Mans in 2023 by Ferrari, Peugeot and Glickenhaus, the Alpine will race in the LMDh class, as chosen by Porsche. LMDh cars are capable of fighting for overall victory with the LMH cars but have less technical freedom, using a customer chassis created by one of four official suppliers, and using a spec gearbox, battery and hybrid system.

Source