Alpine has officially launched the A424 Beta Hypercar marking a return to the premier division of the FIA World Endurance Championship racing and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Alpine unveiled the contender that they believe will help them win the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours race next year at this weekend’s centenary. The performance-focused Renault sub-brand has been racing in the LMP2 division for ten years, but it wants to move up to the elite LMDh division so it can claim to have won the race entirely.
The A424 Beta Hypercar is designed in accordance with LMDh prototype rules, which are applied to both the WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
The car will make its FIA WEC debut in 2024 and will be run by the outfit’s dependable partner, Signatech, which previously ran Alpine’s earlier A480 LMP1 campaign in the premier class.
“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 Hypercar is propelled by a 3.4-liter single-turbo 90-degree V6 coupled to a seven-speed Xtrac transmission, a hybrid system created by Bosch, and a battery from Williams. The combustion engine produces 671 hp (680 PS / 500 kW), while the hybrid system adds 67 hp (68 PS / 50 kW).
The Alpine weighs about 2,271 lbs (1,030 kg), depending on how much ballast is used to meet the Alpine’s performance standards for racing balance of performance.
The Hypercar’s carbon body is strikingly similar to last year’s Alpenglow hypercar concept, however the racer’s fender shapes and cockpit bubble are even more pronounced. It also has a massive fin that extends from the roof to meet a similarly massive wing that runs transversely across the back of the car. The roof snorkel is obviously a reference to the Alpine A442 that won Le Mans in 1978.
A carbon chassis made by Oreca that has double wishbone suspension, pushrod dampers, electric power steering, and carbon ceramic brakes with six-piston dampers lies beneath the car’s surface. The 18-inch wheels are all the same width, but are 12.5 inches broad up front and 14 inches wide in the back.
The internal combustion unit of the A424 has already undergone dyno testing, and towards the end of July the team will conduct shakedown runs at Lurcy-Lévis in France. It will later go through its first Paul Ricard test session in August, follows it up with two more, and then participates in a 24-hour test in November.
Alpine will be prepared by March for the 424 to take part in its first FIA WEC race, the 6 Hours of Qatar, in preparation for a challenge for the Le Mans championship in June 2024.
