New Alpine LMP2 car and its spiritual predecessor, and lovely Talbot Lago ...
The Alpine-Signatech team will field a pair of new Alpine A460s in the coming FIA World Endurance Championship. Based on the Oreca 05, the Alpine badged machine is powered by the popular Nissan V8 engine. The A460 is pictured in action during this weekend's official 'Prologue' test at Paul Ricard.
The new A460 is the very first closed Alpine prototype racer since the A220 of 1968. The ultimate development of the successful 1960s Alpine prototypes, the A220 was built around a lightweight steel tubular spaceframe and featured a very slippery fibreglass body. It also boasted an all-new Gordini V8 engine, which was developed jointly with Renault. It was campaigned for two seasons but, while it was very fast, it also proved fragile. This prompted Alpine to abandon the sports car programme. Our 75-shot gallery features three of the four surviving examples.
Of an altogether earlier vintage is this Talbot Lago T26 Monoplace Decalee, which was built ahead of the 1939 season. Originally intended as a Grand Prix car, the 4.5-litre engined machine is named after the off-set, single-seat layout. This also allowed the car to be campaigned in sports car events, equipped with fenders and lights. The featured example is one of just two examples built and it has been actively and very successfully raced in historic events.
Enjoy the links:
1968 Alpine A220 - Images, Specifications and Information
1939 Talbot Lago T26 Monoplace De - Images, Specifications and Information
2016 Alpine A460 - Images, Specifications and Information
If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.
(Ted Joans)
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