Lightness as a strategy
06/15/2025
Yes, the first thing that comes to mind when discussing lightweight vehicles is Lotus. But cars that do without unnecessary weight were and are also built in France. The company is called "Alpine" and its Berlinette, as the A110 was once known, dominated rallying in the early 1970s.
Jean Rédélé, the founder of Alpine, was probably convinced of lightweight construction from the very beginning. The mantra of his activities: Turn lightness into a strength. At least that's how a nice promotional video from the French manufacturer puts it.
The three-minute short film was created to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Alpine brand. It beautifully combines comic (Michel-Vaillant style) and real film elements and traces the path of the brand, starting with 4CV derivatives through to Le Mans and formula cars. It is understandable that the modern A290 and A390 with electric drive are also shown at the end of the video.
The film, directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, gives us a quick look back at the development of the brand, which was famously resurrected in 2017.
