Alpine Lacoste A290 Rallye Hides 290 Crocodiles
Frederick
Alpine and Lacoste have joined forces to create a unique electric rally car where French performance meets playful design. Unveiled at Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille, the one off A290 Rallye secured second place in the Concept Car category.
Presented on the lawns of the Château de Chantilly, the Alpine Lacoste A290 Rallye was designed to move effortlessly between the rally stage and the fashion podium. Named Beware of the Crocodile, it brings together Alpine’s motorsport expertise and Lacoste’s unmistakable sporting elegance.
The project is based on Alpine’s electric customer racing car, currently the most radical interpretation of the A290. Its wider bespoke bodywork gives the compact model a stronger stance, while exposed carbon fibre bumpers underline its competition credentials. Inside, surfaces are painted directly to reduce unnecessary weight, reflecting Alpine’s ongoing obsession with lightness and agility.
Lacoste’s influence goes far beyond a simple logo. The colour palette references the red tongue of its famous crocodile, while the animal itself appears through a series of carefully placed details. The headlights evoke a crocodile’s gaze, the traditional shark fin antenna has been replaced by reptile inspired scales, and the bonnet features a small pool where three crocodiles face one another, each representing one of the designers behind the collaboration.
The ultimate detail is hidden in plain sight. Exactly 290 crocodiles have been incorporated throughout the car, appearing on the seats, door panels, bodywork, boot and behind the cabin. It gives the model an unexpected sense of humour without diminishing its motorsport character.
“This one off model is the meeting of two French icons, Alpine’s competitive spirit and Lacoste’s sporting elegance,” explains Antony Villain, Vice President of Design at Alpine Cars. “Every hidden detail proves that performance and personality can share the same skin.”
Surrounded at Chantilly by historic Alpine models spanning more than 70 years, the A290 Rallye offered a glimpse of a more playful future for the French performance brand. It may never reach production, but it succeeds as something equally desirable: a bold design object with speed, character and a very sharp set of teeth.
