Revived Gallic Alpine brand joins niche ‘Art Car’ movement
Pronounced ‘Alpeen’, the sometime independent French carmaker that is now owned by Renault, which is expanding it into its ‘performance car brand’, states Iain Robertson, made an intriguing debut at late-May’s wonderful Monaco Grand Prix.
As an attention-getter, applying a fancy paint (but often applique) finish to a motorcar has a history that appears to have commenced during the hippie period of the late-1960s, itself a movement based on free expression, free love and access to anything but free non-prescription unguents. The archetypal VW van used as a means of transport by bleached blonde Californian surfers lent itself ideally as a Flower Power ‘canvas’ to creatives, in the process developing a fascinating niche of ‘cartists’.
While many of the original re-stylists and expressionists were former art school amateurs realising a potential future enterprise for themselves, even major ‘pop-art’ protagonists, such as Andy Warhol, joined their ranks and expanded the possibilities to not only other renowned artists of their respective eras but also to the burgeoning motor industry. In fact, today there exists a lineage of automotive expressionists that travel the extra mile and venture into OTT territory, by applying themed details ranging from dolls’ heads to sea-shells, or faux fur to purposeful ‘rust’, as they stretch the limits of art via their chosen modes of transport.
Among the most famous of the art car supporters was BMW, encouraged by Gallic racing driver and auctioneer, Herve Poulain, who commissioned US artist, Alexander Calder, to add a splash of avantgarde colour to a BMW 3.0CSL that would contest the 1975 Le Mans 24 Hours race. Fostered by the German carmaker, no less than 19 of its cars have received the artistic treatment from artists such as David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Roy Liechtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Frank Stella. Most of them constitute a much-prized gallery of models in the firm’s classic car collection, while demonstrating the car manufacturer’s commitment to the arts. It is all good PR.
At the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix, Alpine unveiled its striking Alpine A110 that has been given the art car treatment by Felipe Pantone, a most appropriate name for the Argentinian artist. It is, in fact, the second collaboration piece to debut since the partnership with the artist began in April this year. The first collaboration ‘Alpine F1 x Felipe Pantone’ was presented a few weeks ago, when Sr Pantone delivered his artistic interpretation of Formula 1 with Alpine on a 1/2 scale model that was exhibited on the first floor of the Parisian Atelier Renault dedicated to the Alpine marque.
The second collaboration between Alpine and artist Pantone showcases a piece of modern artwork on the Alpine A110, the brand’s present reborn iconic model. Before tackling the project, Pantone spent a long time studying the brand and its history, as well as driving an Alpine A110 to feel the unique personality imparted by the French sporting coupe. His resultant endeavour is a strikingly modern, dynamic and elegant interpretation of the car. The graphic lines follow the shape of the A110, which provide an impression of speed, even when the car is parked. It also features the signature colours of Felipe Pantone’s work in black and white.
As he states, “My idea regarding the work on the A110 is to evoke a sense of ‘ultradynamism’. Visual speed is something that I have been investigating for years and I feel it really comes together on this car, emphasising its innate design stance, with a fast, technological appearance”.
The hand-crafted paintwork on the body, which was carried out entirely by hand, by the artist, represents several weeks of intense work. For even greater exclusivity, each of the three models offered for sale (a fourth example will be retained by Renault for its collection), at a sticker price of Euros 125,000, inclusive of taxation, will feature subtle graphic variations to make each of them an unique artwork.
According to Cedric Journel, VP sales and marketing at Alpine: “Through this second collaboration with Alpine, Felipe Pantone has once again demonstrated the extent of his talents. The creative work and its execution are exceptional. The colour schemes, geometric shapes and optical effects reveal the A110 in a new light, with a heightened sense of movement. The work results in a modern, dynamic and captivating work of art”.
The Alpine A110 designed by Felipe Pantone is based on an A110S, the punchiest version in the A110 range with 292bhp. Famously, an example of one of the original launch cars, while being tested by Chris Harris and featured on BBC Top Gear in the hills above Monte Carlo, burst into flames and was comprehensively destroyed.
Approved for road use, the unique Alpine works of art are targeted at collectors and lovers of beautiful objects as opposed to race and track fans. The conditions of access to acquire one of the three works will be communicated by Alpine subsequently.
The Alpine F1 Team, also in the colours of Felipe Pantone, provided hot laps at Monaco with the returned former F1 Champion, Fernando Alonso, behind the steering wheel of the A110S. Intended to allow both renowned racer and the artist to discuss their common passion for both automotive beauty and the so-called pinnacle motorsport, I cannot imagine that much talking took place, as the compact coupe was flung around the historically famous street circuit.
In addition, to celebrate the second artistic collaboration, the Alpine F1 Team was pictured wearing the colours of the artist, with typical graphic elements. The graphic signature is particularly evident on the motorhome and the nose of the A521s that were present at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. While art cars remain an interesting but very niche means of artistic expressionism, it is fascinating that Alpine has placed a commercial value on a very strictly limited run of just three cars.
