The Alpine A290 is another of the brand’s French-style sports cars, and has been fine-tuning its low grip characteristics in Sweden since the start of the year. Alpine’s technical teams test the prototypes on tracks and open roads in the most extreme weather conditions to ensure excellence across the board. All the technical parameters are subject to full-scale tests to guarantee the required performance levels are achieved. Particular attention is given to dynamic performance, engine responsiveness, brio, driving precision and agility.
A wide range of equipment is also being tested, including heating, the quality of defogging and defrosting, and ESC (Electronic Stability Control) on snow. None of these points can be reproduced in a technical centre and can only be validated in extremely cold conditions.
For its first official outing, the A290 sported Alpine’s original camouflage, the ‘A-Arrow’ logo on the roof and the Alpine Blue color scheme. The prototype was presented for the first time with its definitive bodywork and validated dimensions: length 3,990 mm, width 1,820 mm, height 1,520 mm, wheelbase 2,530 mm.
The A290 also unveiled an exclusive Alpine sport steering wheel in Nappa leather, with a flattened surface and a centre point, reminiscent of motorsport that is so much a part of the brand’s DNA. It includes three essential functions borrowed from Alpine’s Formula 1 steering wheels: OV (Overtake), RCH (Recharge) and Drive modes with one-touch access.
“The target of this important stage is to confirm the direction we have taken with handling and agility, which is part of our DNA on low grip conditions, ” said Philippe Krief, Alpine CEO. “To fine-tune its development so that it can be effective in all circumstances and weather conditions, the winter development stage of the A290 is crucial as it is a completely new car. Our engineering team has scrutinized all the criteria, and the results bode extremely well for its launch in the coming months.”
These extreme cold tests in Sweden are a further step in the A290’s development, which will be unveiled in June 2024.
