Alpine and Lacoste have teamed up on a one-off version of the electric A290 Rallye, combining the French automaker’s newest competition car with some rather literal references to Lacoste’s famous crocodile.
Officially called the Beware of the Crocodile – Alpine Lacoste A290 Rallye, the car will make its next public appearance at Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille on September 13. It will be displayed on the Alpine stand before taking to the runway as part of the event’s Concours d’Élégance.
The collaboration starts with the Alpine A290 Rallye, the competition version of the company’s electric hot hatch. Rather than turning the road-going A290 into a styling exercise, Alpine and Lacoste have therefore started with the most motorsport-focused version of the car.
BEWARE OF THE CROCODILE
The project draws much of its inspiration from one particularly small detail: the red tongue of Lacoste’s crocodile logo.
Red consequently becomes the dominant theme throughout the car, extending from its exterior graphics into an intensely red competition cabin. Lacoste’s familiar petit piqué textile, best known as the fabric used for the company’s polo shirts, is incorporated into the interior as another connection to the clothing brand.
Look more closely and there are considerably more crocodiles. Alpine says exactly 290 references to the Lacoste emblem have been incorporated throughout the design, matching the numerical designation of the A290.
Despite the fashion connection, there’s a genuine competition car underneath it all. The A290 Rallye uses widened tracks, reinforced braking hardware and dedicated management for its electric powertrain, all developed to prepare the A290 platform for rally competition.
The Lacoste project leaves that underlying purpose intact, effectively using the Rallye as the canvas rather than attempting to turn it into something else.
FRENCH MOTORSPORT MEETS FRENCH FASHION
The collaboration pairs two French companies with very different backgrounds but some interesting historical overlap in their emphasis on competition.
Alpine was founded by Jean Rédélé in 1955 and built its reputation through rallying and lightweight sports cars, culminating in the original A110 and victory in the inaugural World Rally Championship for Manufacturers in 1973.
Lacoste traces its origins to tennis champion René Lacoste, who founded the clothing company with André Gillier in 1933. The crocodile itself predates the company, originating as Lacoste’s nickname during his playing career before becoming one of fashion’s most recognizable logos.
The A290 Rallye therefore gives Alpine an unusually appropriate platform for bringing those two competition histories together. It also arrives as Alpine expands well beyond the traditional lightweight sports-car formula associated with the marque.
The production A290 became the first model in Alpine’s electric “Dream Garage,” followed by the larger A390 fastback. The A290 Rallye takes that transition in another direction, demonstrating how Alpine intends to maintain a connection with grassroots motorsport as its road-car range moves toward electrification.
HEADING TO CHANTILLY
At Chantilly, the Lacoste A290 Rallye will be surrounded by considerably more traditional Alpine machinery.
The automaker plans to bring a selection of heritage cars representing more than 70 years of the marque, accompanied by cars from Alpine owners and clubs. The resulting display will put the electric A290 alongside the lightweight sports and competition cars upon which Alpine built its reputation.
The setting should suit the Lacoste collaboration particularly well. Chantilly’s Concours d’Élégance pairs contemporary concept cars and one-off automotive creations with fashion, making the A290 Rallye’s combination of motorsport hardware and French clothing design more relevant there than it might be at a conventional motor show.
And while a red interior covered with hundreds of crocodile references could easily have become little more than branding exercise, using the purpose-built Rallye as the starting point gives the project a bit more substance. Beneath all those crocodiles remains an electric competition car intended to prove that Alpine’s transition into EVs doesn’t necessarily mean leaving its rallying roots behind.
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