Renault Alpine Celebration Concept

After years of rumors, a concept car, and a sudden cancellation of its partnership with Caterham, Alpine has finally unveiled a near-production version of its upcoming sports car. Brought into the spotlight six decades since the brand was established in Dieppe, France, and exactly 20 years since it had been declared defunct, the Alpine Celebration Concept made its maiden appearance ahead of the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The vehicle’s debut at the Circuit de la Sarthe is far from just a marketing move, as Alpine has a long and storied history with Le Mans, where its cars had raced in large numbers in the 1960s. What’s more, the Alpine A442B won the iconic race in 1978, defeating a horde of Porsche 936s ran by both factory teams and privateers. Lastly, the Celebration Concept made its rolling debut on the same track Alpine has been racing in the LMP2 class for three consecutive years.

Even though Renault didn’t say when the production car is due to arrive (I expect that to happen in 2016), the Celebration Concept will attend a number of special events throughout 2015, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Alpine Saga reunion in Dieppe. Meanwhile, let’s have a closer look at the concept that signals the return of Alpine as a road car manufacturer.

Update 10/7/2015: The Renault-Alpine Celebration Concept was recently filmed at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Continue reading to learn more about the Renault Alpine Celebration Concept.

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