Alpine unveils A424_β hypercar at Le Mans

As it follows LMDh rules, the A424 will use one of the outsourced chassis options, in this case Oreca, which is also used by Acura for the ARX-06. This is a continuation of the relationship between Alpine and Oreca, following the A480 LMP1 car that has raced in the WEC over the last couple of years.

Powering the car will be a 3.4-litre turbocharged Mecachrome V6 – a layout that will be unique to the A424 on the grid – working in conjunction with a prescribed hybrid system. Like Porsche, Alpine also says it’s open to the idea of selling customer cars to privateer teams.

Design-wise, the A424 is intended to wear language set to be seen on Alpine’s road cars in the near future. Key elements include the lighting signatures at the front and rear, with the latter featuring Alpine ‘A’-shaped lights. There’s a bit of the Alpenglow concept (unsurprisingly) and obviously, nods to the recent machinery it succeeds. Even as a race car all of its own, Alpine wanted the A424 to have the look and allure of a road-going supercar.

In terms of the timeline for the race-ready A424, development is already well along. The first sketches were completed in November 2021, with engine design beginning in January 2022. By the end the year, the engine was running and the car was in the wind tunnel.

The car’s first shakedown is due in July 2023, with proper testing beginning in August. From then, it’s an intensive schedule of testing and homologation, before its first race at the 6 Hours of Qatar in March 2024. Are you excited to see another challenger join the fray at the current top echelon of endurance racing?