There are moments in the car world when something drops that doesn't just turn heads - it whips them clean off their necks, spins them 180 degrees, and shouts "Regardez-moi!" at the top of its lungs. The announcement of Alpine's 2028 hybrid supercar is one such moment.
Yes, Alpine - the niche French performance brand previously best known for building lightweight driver's delights like the A110 and giving Top Gear a reason to shout "Alpeeeeeeen" while sideways - has decided to go full Mad Hatter. They've announced a car with 1,000 brake horsepower. That's not a typo. One. Thousand. Brake. Horsepower. From the French. The same people who brought us baguettes, berets, and bureaucratic paperwork that requires three stamps and a blood sample.
A Tri-Motor Sledgehammer from the Alps
Let's start with the meat and gravy. Alpine's new flagship will be powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 engine slotted over the rear axle - very old-school Ferrari, very good - and bolstered by not one, but two electric motors driving the front wheels. This isn't a drivetrain, it's an act of war. The total combined output? 1,000bhp, all cleverly shuffled around with advanced torque vectoring wizardry that'll probably make it stick to the road like a croissant sticks to your arteries.
This isn't some vanity project, either. The powertrain is being developed by Renault's new "Hypercar and Ultra Performance" division, known as Hypertech. Which sounds less like a car company and more like an '80s video game console, but it's actually made up of proper race-bred engineers. These are the folks who know what endurance means - not just Le Mans, but also surviving Renault's HR meetings.
Not Just a Pretty Face (But Wow, Those Lights…)
Now, if you're wondering what it'll look like, don't expect an exact copy of the Alpenglow concept - though, by all that is holy, those lights deserve their own Michelin star. I mean, if you haven't seen them, stop reading this, go look them up, and then come back. They are - without exaggeration - sexier than a midnight kiss in Monaco.
While the production car will apparently be toned down to something more "realistic," Alpine insists it will still retain some of that futuristic design language. So expect aerodynamics that could slice through time, a silhouette so sculpted it could make an Italian designer weep into their espresso, and headlights that look like they were designed during a fever dream in Tron.
Strategy, Sanity, and a Sprinkle of French Madness
Alpine's CEO, Philippe Krief - who, let's not forget, had a hand in sculpting Ferraris like the 458 and the SF90 - is calling this project a "halo car." Not the kind that comes with Master Chief and a plasma rifle, but the kind meant to elevate a brand's image into the supercar stratosphere. Krief has laid out three goals: make it profitable, make it groundbreaking, and make it cool enough that teenage boys put posters of it on their bedroom walls.
Will it work? If Alpine pulls this off - and that's still a giant "if" - it would catapult them from being the quirky underdog to a serious threat to the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren. Not bad for a company whose last greatest hit involved trying to make the best handling sports car under 300 horsepower.
No Compromise. No Apologies. All of the Speed.
What's exciting here is the blend of old-world combustion and new-age electric precision. This isn't Alpine compromising to go electric; this is Alpine weaponising hybridisation. It's like teaching a mime how to scream in German - it shouldn't work, but it might just be terrifyingly effective.
And while it's still three years out, we can already tell this won't be some soulless EV appliance. This is being built to excite, to provoke, and to lay down lap times that cause Pirelli reps to faint.
So, Can You Drive One?
Well, no. Not yet. And unless you've got a contact in Dieppe, or you're on a waiting list longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall, you're probably not getting behind the wheel of Alpine's 1,000bhp darling anytime soon.
But here's the good news: you can experience the thrill of supercar performance today. For the noble Alpine, Book a Track Day Car Hire and get behind the wheel of the magnificent A110S. Alternatively, book white-knuckle driving thrills in a selection of the finest four-wheeled monsters known to man - Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens, and more. We're talking track days, GP race circuits, and enough horsepower to reset your spine.
So until the French supercar revolution arrives in 2028, come experience what peak performance feels like - whether it's V8, V10, or V12, we've got the keys ready.
0
£0
Basket
