WEC 2024: Alpine presents its A424_β LMDh
The list of constructors is going to be incredibly packed next year, at the top of endurance racing. Alpine will be there and unveiled, on Friday morning, the machine intended to compete for the overall win.
She is beautiful, aggressive, sleek, and ready for victory: the Alpine A424_β was unveiled on Friday at the headquarters of the French team, at the Alpine Paddock Center.
The journalists were numerous to see what the new tricolor LMDh would look like. It will be based on an Oreca chassis and is therefore not a fully homemade LMH. Alpine’s executive director, Bruno Famin, a former Peugeot employee, emphasizes a logical choice of regulations.
The decision to engage in Hypercar was made in 2021 and we fully dedicated ourselves to it from January 2022. The pace gradually accelerated and the choice of LMDh regulations became evident, with Alpine’s ambition to enter the American market while requiring a more limited investment in engineering compared to LMH. Manufacturers can also design a body with the stylistic codes of their brands. Thanks to this, Alpine reaffirms its strong identity and technical abilities with a controlled budget in order to eventually have the possibility of commercializing its LMDh.
A racing machine
The A424_β will be powered by a 3.4-liter V6 single-turbo engine, which is twice the displacement of the F1 engine. The beast will generate 675 horsepower and easily reach 9,000 revolutions per minute.
This car will join an already exceptional list of manufacturers: Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, Cadillac, Peugeot (who are certain to stay), and will be accompanied, in 2024, by Lamborghini, BMW, Isotta Fraschini, and possibly Acura/Honda.
In the statement from the team, Laurent Rossi, the CEO of Alpine, shows particular enthusiasm. « This new prototype propels the arrowed A brand into the future while aligning itself with our previous creations, starting with Alpenglow and the A290_β. 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. »
Does this mean that Alpine will be directly involved? In any case, the task looks gigantic, but it doesn’t scare the boss of the Dieppe brand. The challenge will be even greater as both Alpines will, in the near future, be competing in the WEC and IMSA, notably alongside Lamborghini.
We do not underestimate the task that awaits us in this exciting challenge. We remain humble, but determined to assert ourselves, on both sides of the Atlantic. We hope to offer all the lovers of motor racing splendid, epic and exciting battles and we have only one thing to say to them. See you on the track!
