Alpine officially unveiled the car which will mark its return to the premier class of FIA World Endurance Championship racing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans: The A424 Beta.
The A424_β, as it’s otherwise known, is constructed to LMDh prototype regulations, as used in both the WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. When it debuts in the 2024 FIA WEC, the car will be run by Alpine’s long-standing partner, Signatech, who also operated Alpine’s previous premier class effort with the A480 LMP1.
It is based around the “spine” of an Oreca LMP2 chassis, per the LMDh regulations, and under the engine cover is a 3.4 litre, twin-turbocharged V6 engine constructed by Mecachrome – coupled to the standard Bosch 50kW hybrid unit used by other LMDh cars.
With the A424_β Alpine and its parent company Renault will pursue their first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1978.
“Today we unveil the Alpine A424_β, the forerunner of our Hypercar designed to challenge the best competitors starting next year,” said Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi.
“True to our values, this new prototype takes the A-arrow brand into the future; while following in the footsteps of our creations, beginning with Alpenglow and the A290_β. The Alpine A424_β is racy, elegant and distinctive with its iconic and emblematic design.”
“It embodies both our present and our future thanks to the involvement and investment of our designers in its development.”
The car, which Signatech boss Philippe Sinault says will compete as the A424 (without the Beta), is set for its first fire-up on June 28th, before a further shakedown in July and a first full track test at Paul Ricard during August.
“We will operate the tests with our current LMP2 team, with additional people and the full support of Alpine Racing and ORECA,” Sinault explained. “We plan to have many test drivers.”
Whether or not the A424 will compete in IMSA’s GTP class is not yet clear. DSC asked Sinault whether or not Signatech had aspirations to take the A424 to the WeatherTech series. “If Alpine asks, I would consider it,” was the answer.
Currently Alpine does not sell road cars in North America.
