There are no specifications related to the battery, there are no numbers referring to power, there are no figures referring to prices. The new one Alpine A390_β it’s none of this. And the reason is easily explained: it is a show car that anticipates a series model, the latter of which will have all the references mentioned above. For the moment we are content to see how this model of the future will be made externally: concretely, a 100% electric fastback sports car. Aesthetically, will it match this show car in every way? Not exactly, even if Alpine let us know that 85% of it will be identical.
The new Alpine A390_β
The leaders of the French brand have defined it in a certain sense as a revisited A110, characterized by a sporty silhouette and prominent muscles. It is to all intents and purposes a testing laboratory for what will be the brand’s future technologies and design philosophies. As mentioned, we know nothing about this fully electric fastback sports car in terms of performance. Although we have one certainty: it will be equipped with three electric motors, of which two on the rear axle and one on the front, complete with non-permanent all-wheel drive.
More than just a show car
Alpine also let us know that it has already tested the series electric model that will derive from this show car on the track: it should debut over the course of next year and will be produced in Franceat the historic Dieppe factory. We will know more in the coming months, in the meantime we had the opportunity to admire the A390_β show car live in Paris.
A sports car with a very attractive appearance, elevated to maximum power both by the colour Specular Blue chosen for the bodywork but also and above all by the luminous signature, taken from the Alpenglow concept car and embellished at the front and rear, under the luminous strip, by a cloud of illuminated triangles called “Cosmic Dust”. Chapter circles: they have a size of 22″ at the front and 23″ at the rear, and are embellished with hubcaps in the center of the wheel and illuminated by a bluish halo.
From design to aerodynamics
Sportiness is not just performance and speed. It’s also aerodynamics. This is why at the front we find the flying bridge, otherwise known as the flying bridge, which facilitates the passage of air over the upper part of the vehicle. The micro-perforated grille, on the other hand, directs the flows in an optimal way, then it is up to the large side intakes to create a curtain of air to accelerate the natural flow. Moving to the rear, you can come across a series of aerodynamic elements of the show car, in addition to the central drift which is a clear reference to the Alpines racing at Le Mans. Last element, but certainly not least, the light strip of the headlights found at the rear can extend or contract by 80 mm.
Visionary interiors
The music changes as you move inside the cockpit. Because if externally, as mentioned, 85% of what we have seen and told you will also be found on the standard 100% electric fastback sports car which will debut in 2025internally Alpine’s work was mainly conceptual, which means that we are faced with a futuristic vision of Alpine cockpits which will not necessarily be reflected in reality. And in this case one might say Sinbecause the solutions that this prototype brings are really very interesting.
Cockpit and steering wheel
One element above all cockpitwhich consists of a luminous triangle that graphically embodies the driving axis: three glass sheets, located behind the steering wheel and placed in succession, create a holographic effect for a multidimensional and dynamic reading of the driving information. We mentioned the steering wheelso let’s delve deeper: it draws direct inspiration from those of Formula 1, and offers two geometries that allow you to swing from the world of daily driving to that of extreme sportiness. There is no key on this show car: the driver places an ice crystal right in the center of the steering wheel to bring the very fascinating vehicle to life. On the central consolethen, we find the “PRND” transmission buttons, which take on the features of minerals, like cut and polished pieces of rock.
Seat in two positions
Separate mention for the seat, given that in this case Alpine’s work was double. In every sense, since the French automaker has taken a Formula 1 session to develop the driver’s seat of the A390_β, offering two driving positions for two types of use: the first is high, with the pedals closer to the floor for daily driving of the vehicle, while the second, activated via a command taken from the world of aeronautics, sees the seat put into F1 position, the pedals get up and the steering wheel tightens. Speaking of seatsthe front ones are equipped with a two-tone belt with a four-point Sabelt buckle reminiscent of the Formula 1 extraction system. A final mention of the floor: it is covered by a structure made of ultra-light recycled carbon, and thanks to the multiple inserts of carbon elements in relief it evokes speed and the asphalt that can be seen flowing under your feet.
Waiting for the series version
In short, the ingredients to see a 100% electric standard sportback sports car cooked up with all the trimmings seem to be all there, obviously waiting to be understood how many and which ones of these technologies and these stylistic choices, internal and external, will be proposed again, also in light of the different homologation procedures. We remind you that this future car will be based on a heavily revised version of the AmpR Medium platform of Ampere.
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