The final episode of our series dedicated to the Alpine's 70th anniversary, draws parallels between the brand's roots and the beginning of a new era through its range.
Pierre Gasly may be a Formula 1 driver, but he also drives on public roads like any other motorist. He explains why he was won over by the Alpine A390 and electric mobility. He's even open to the idea of taking part in a rally in an electric competition car. Which is good news since Alpine has just released an A290 Rallye! Following in the footsteps started by the R5 Alpine Group 2, which delighted many private competitors in the late 1970s, this A290 Rallye is the first project developed by Hypertech Alpine, its new engineering center in Viry-Chatillon. Axel Plasse, VP Hypertech Alpine, talks passionately about this new release.
00:00Within the first six months of 2026 we will show some really exciting news.
00:16The next coming decade is going to be really fun.
00:21I'm a racer so I still want to get a feel of racing.
00:30I want precision. I want a good-looking car.
00:39I must say, personally, I'm a big fan of the A3 and the A3.
00:44I want precision. I want a good-looking car.
00:49I must say, personally, I'm a big fan of the A3 and the A3.
00:54I've always loved the design. It's very smooth. It's very aggressive.
00:59It's actually very enjoyable driving it.
01:01I had the luxury to have Zinedine Zidane as a co-pilot,
01:05so it definitely made the experience even more special.
01:08I have Zinedine Zidane as a co-pilot, so it definitely made the experience even more special.
01:20I must say, the A390, you know, being full electric, you would expect the car to feel quite heavy.
01:26The DNA of the Alpinists actually always produce very light cars,
01:29and I think they've greatly achieved that.
01:34I've already made my order for the A390, so you'll see me driving it.
01:41I wouldn't mind having my own rally experience.
01:44I love ice driving.
01:46Rally, in general, is a very different task compared to what I'm used to,
01:50and I think it will be a great challenge.
01:51So yeah, definitely in the future, I wouldn't mind trying in the middle of a rally.
01:59One of the first projects developed by Hypertech Alpine is the A290 Rally.
02:04The purpose of this car, I would say, is threefold.
02:07First, is to develop a true, high-performance sport car.
02:11Second, is to offer to our customers performing, accessible, affordable, true race rally car.
02:16And the third is to demonstrate to everyone that competing in a rally with an electric car is really possible, as is also very fun.
02:26I would say that there is a kind of a real legacy between this A290 rally and the Renault 5 Alpine Group 2 in the year 70s,
02:35because both are two-wheel drive, both are very agile, and both are impressively performing and surprise many people.
02:46I had the opportunity to drive the car.
02:50This is really funny to see when you drive these cars on the track, you are so fast, it's so easy.
02:56This feeling is just magic.
02:58This car made its debut early November, 2025, in the A290 Rally, part of the French Rally Championship.
03:05We have very, very good feedback from all the drivers.
03:10Believe me, the next coming decades is going to be really fun.
03:17So, 2025 was the 70th anniversary of Alpine.
03:21There will be a lot more to come in 2026.
03:23We will present the new strategic plan of Alpine, based on three pillars.
03:27The pillars where we will have the everyday extraordinary car, like A290, A390.
03:33The pillar of iconic car with the new A110, and we will reveal some details in 2026.
03:39And the third pillar, which is made by the special project, and the very exclusive project.
03:46And the first car of this third pillar is the A110 Rally team.
03:54For me, in my head, Berlinette was one of the historical benchmark about Fun2Drive.
03:58The main challenge we have to overcome when we developed this car was how to build an exceptional car, in terms of performance, design and quality, with reduced time and reduced development cost.
04:12The first important thing is the weight to power ratio.
04:14We say we need to do something exceptional.
04:20Necessity was to do final fireworks to celebrate A110.
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