This year sees the 60th anniversary of Alpine, the French company founded by Jean Rédélé, and to celebrate the occasion, a one-off concept car will complete a lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe at Le Mans.
The Alpine Celebration is a two-seat coupé that clearly displays a wide breadth of the brand's heritage, although it's very clearly a modernised version of the A110 'Berlinette'. Finished in the blue and orange paint scheme seen on Alpine prototypes that have competed in endurance racing since 2013, it's not an old-fashioned creation - carbon fibre detailing can be seen on the side sills, rear diffuser, aft air intakes and the door mirrors.
We reckon this thing looks incredible, with some of the touches - like the black-crossed central lights, the sculpted bonnet and the sloping tail - really impressing. No word on what powers it nor whether anything like it will make production, but we're glad Alpine felt the need to build it nonetheless.
Anything else?
As mentioned, the Alpine Celebration will tour the Le Mans circuit prior to the main event, following an A110 round the track to emphasise the historic link. Antony Villain, Alpine's design director, said: "In order to faithfully reproduce the style and driving experience traditionally associated with Alpine, we were always mindful of wanting to develop and evolve our car in real-world conditions, but in a manner that is synonymous with French motorsport. It would be difficult to imagine a better showcase than the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours circuit to give the Alpine Celebration its first public airing."
The Alpine Celebration will also attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month, as well as the Alpine Saga reunion in Dieppe in September.