2015 Alpine Celebration Concept - Images, Specifications and Information

The Alpine Celebration will follow in the wheel tracks of an A110 as it completes its lap of honour of the Le Mans circuit, almost making it appear as if the Berlinette - so emblematic of the Alpine brand and French motorsport in general - had returned in a contemporary guise.

The direct lineage between the two cars is clear to see, seamlessly linking the past to the future. What's more, the determination to once again take on big-name rivals is palpably intact.

The A110 predominantly owes its fame to its dual personality as both a desirable road-going sports car and at the same time a motorsport icon. It boasts a sparkling record, claiming a long list of victories over the course of a long and glittering career that was capped by the Manufacturers' crown in the 1973 World Rally Championship.

Yet the 'Berlinette' was in fact quite the all-rounder, even producing commendable performances on the racetrack - an area that was not its natural habitat. This was evidenced by the A110 GT's eye-catching efforts in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Indeed, it never shied away from taking the fight to more fancied rivals on any type of terrain. This giant-killing approach has characterised every phase of Alpine's history in motorsport. The same spirit, enthusiasm and constant thirst for new challenges and adventures continue to inspire the teams that are now so passionately involved in the brand's return.

Sixty years ago, the Alpine brand was born. The talent of its founder Jean Rédélé, the passion of the teams working beneath him and the performance of his cars in motorsport saw Alpine swiftly achieve success in every sporting arena. Exemplifying an all-conquering era in French motorsport, Alpine regularly stole the spotlight at Le Mans, from its competitive debut in the twice round-the-clock classic in 1963 right up to its famous outright victory in the race in 1978. As it continues the impressive comeback that began in 2013, Alpine is today writing a fresh page in its remarkable history with its unique Alpine Celebration show car.

The Alpine Celebration is the latest in a series of vehicles designed to showcase the Alpine legend. Since 2012, Alpine has enjoyed an inspiring period of enthusiastic creativity and renewed momentum. Revived by the 50th anniversary of the Berlinette and brought to life in the shape of the stunning A110-50, Alpine's rebirth was immediately marked by a victorious return to motorsport in 2013 - a trend that continued in 2014, as the A450b achieved back-to-back European Le Mans Series endurance racing titles.

The current year represents a new phase of this productive process, with the 60th anniversary celebrations for Jean Rédélé's company and the spectacular creative activities planned to accompany them.

At the beginning of 2015, the Alpine Vision Gran Turismo revved into existence as a new addition to the world's most popular motorsport video game. At the same time, it was brought to life as a futuristic full-scale model - to the evident delight of visitors to the International Automobile Festival and Rétromobile show in Paris.

Alpine is a member of an exclusive club of marques whose success is founded on motorsport. It is this heritage that drives Alpine's acute appreciation of style and an on-going desire to take on human and technological challenges, perpetuating the legend of the brand by attracting new fans all around the world.

As it pursues its quest for the ultimate in performance, agility, style and driving enjoyment that first inspired it 60 years ago, Alpine continues to inspire the dreams of sports car aficionados. The Alpine Celebration goes one step further still in bringing those dreams to life on the racetrack - for one very special lap.

In 2014, Bernard Ollivier (CEO, Société des Automobiles Alpine) made no secret of his desire to make an emphatic statement and celebrate the Alpine brand's 60th anniversary in style.

He consequently tasked his designers with producing a modern car using the DNA of the legendary Alpines. Led by Antony Villain, the team swiftly sprang into action, assisted in its work by several members of the engineering department. Around 15 people worked together to design and develop a car worthy of such a landmark occasion and the impression that it should leave in the memory.

It was thus that the Alpine Celebration was born, following in the wake of the Alpine Vision Gran Turismo which was developed to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the famous video game. This car was initially a purely virtual affair, before materialising at the beginning of 2015 in full-scale 3D form. The desire to 'see it for real' proved to be too great for it to remain at the digital prototype stage.

In the case of the Alpine Celebration, the eagerness to conceive a stylish celebratory car in the true Alpine tradition served as the starting point of the project. This ambition has always been tempered by the requirement to produce a realistic interpretation right down to the tiniest details.

Throughout 2015, the Alpine Celebration will attend a number of special events dedicated to Alpine's 60th anniversary. Notably, it will put in an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 26-28), not to mention the popular 'Alpine Saga' reunion in Dieppe organised by the Association des Anciens d'Alpine on September 11-13.
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