Alpine to America in 2027

French performance car maker Alpine has targeted 2027 as the year it will finally make its debut in the U.S.A.

Until recently only affirmed Francophiles in America would have known about the brand which started making sports cars in the 1950s. Beginning by rebodying the Renault 4CV in lightweight fiberglass to create the A106, the company’s biggest success was its A110, produced between 1962 and 1977. Not just a pretty face the A110 was an accomplished rally racer, winning the 1973 World Rally Championship, beating Porsche, Lancia and Ford factory teams. A year later Renault took over Alpine and has owned it ever since, producing a range of rear-engined coupes including the A310, A610 and GTA until the mid 1990s.

A revival came in 2017 with the launch of a new A110 sports car (top) that carried on the company’s tradition of light weight, fun-to-drive machines. Despite not selling in huge volumes, the A110 has been highly-acclaimed as a Porsche Cayman rival and re-established Alpine as a force to be reckoned with.

Parent company Renault renamed its Formula 1 team Alpine in 2020 and the rising popularity of Grand Prix racing in the U.S.A. has begun to build the brand this side of the Atlantic. Having so far scored only a single victory in the top rank of motor racing, Alpine is set to get another boost—in publicity at least—as Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds has just invested in the team as part of a consortium. Reynolds’ previous exploits with sporting underdogs have gone well. As co-owner of English soccer team Wrexham FC he has overseen the team’s return to the English Football League after an absence of 15 years. More brand building comes from Alpine’s recent success at Pike’s Peak, where the French firm scored a third place finish at its very first attempt on the hill, setting a new class record in the process.

That car was based on the A110 and powered by a 500-hp internal combustion engine, but by the time Alpine arrives in America all its models will be fully-electric. The first cars to reach our shores will be sporty crossovers, built upon a new Alpine Performance Platform, but a four-seater called the A310 and the volts-powered successor to the A110 two-seater will also be designed for U.S. roads. Alpine’s A290 hot hatch, based on the upcoming electric Renault 5, is highly unlikely to be included in the line-up, however.

Alpine is in discussions with the AutoNation dealer network which could give it states-wide coverage from the get-go. Watch this space.