Nostalgia is in the air at this year’s Paris Motor Show as automotive brands fall over themselves to revive and modernise classic models from their esteemed histories.
This time it is the turn of Alpine, with the French company revealing a concept car that honours the A310 from 1971 and reinterprets it for the modern day. Alpine’s calls its one-off concept a “retro-futuristic vision”.
The classic A310 has a distinctive silhouette and the A310 Vision concept is no different. Its geometric and radical design, along with a low, wide presence, was lauded when it was originally released and became one of its most iconic models. This year marks a pair of significant anniversaries for the A310, with the four-cylinder model celebrating its 55th anniversary and the V6 version marking its 50th.
Sitting on “A”-shaped wheels that nod to the full metal wheels of the early versions, the A310 Vision concept is 4.55 m long, 1.18 m high, 2.03 m wide at its broadest point at the rear, with a 2.45 m wheelbase. The aluminium bodywork is contrasted by a black lower section inspired by F1 and the semi-transparent cabin.
The A310 Vision concept also gives the company the chance to show off its Alpine Performance Platform (APP), which will be the basis for the next-generation A110 model. The APP comprises an advanced aluminium architecture and two battery packs, giving it the 40/60% front/rear balance of a true sports car.
Alpine says the platform creates new possibilities and “opens up a new field of creative exploration to imagine the Alpine sports cars of tomorrow”. These include playing with new proportions, new volumes and new interpretations of Alpine’s design language, which is seen here in the concept in the form of integrated headlights, an “S-duct” incorporated into the bonnet and the “Y zero” blade running through the centre of the car to create a vanishing point towards the rear.
At the rear, the two-part split wing and blade-shaped rear lights play their part aerodynamically to create greater downforce.
While we weren’t shown a great deal of what’s going on inside, Alpine says it contains seats with “organic shapes”, while physical controls are featured and inspired by the world of Hi-Fi.
What do you think of the Alpine A310 Vision concept?
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Alpine