A group of students have joined forces with Alpine to give the world a glimpse of how a hydrogen-fuelled supercar could look in the future.
Working in collaboration with the French brand, the 28 transport designers have come up with a daringly-styled and aerodynamically efficient two-seater that measures 5,091mm long, 2,010mm wide and 1,055mm high.
Called the A4810, Alpine says the outlandish car draws inspiration from Formula One and helps to bring it “to the cusp of the sports car category”.
The car is named after Mont Blanc – which measures 4,810 metres high – because the Alps region in which it is situated “evokes the joy of driving along their winding roads”.
Although the A4810 is a concept, many of the elements that make it up mean it “is almost ready to take to the roads”, Alpine say. Many of these are distinguishable by using bi-tone colours, matte black finishes and carbon fibre highlights.
Antony Villain – Alpine’s Design Director – said: “Collaboration with the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) and its students has been a great experience.
“It was a ‘filter’ for us to see the brand through the eyes of the younger generation, but it was also an opportunity to share our passion and know-how, and give them sound advice for a successful career in automotive design.”
After the brief was given last autumn, students worked individually to come up with their own interpretation of a ‘super berlinette’ and present it to the brand before Villain and his team selected a combination of the two main ideas.
Students who worked on the concept, which is supported by Pirelli and OZ Racing, come from America, India, Italy, Mali, Spain and Mexico.
Raphael Linari, Alpine’s Chief Designer, said: “The Alpine A4810 project by IED has been a very exciting experience with IED students and lecturers.
“The result is a futuristic supercar that explores new territories for the brand in terms of package, proportions, and design language.
“The different creative approaches of the young talented students combined with IED know-how gave rise to some very interesting responses. Furthermore, the extraordinary final result makes the collaboration a resounding success,” he added.
