ALPINE AND IED TURIN: A WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIP THAT IS MORE THAN A CONCEPT

"Interpretthe design codes the Alpine brand and transpose them into the future bydesigning the 'super berlinette' of 2035. The two-seater supercar will have tobe as sporty as it is environmentally friendly. It will be hydrogen-powered andmust embody the spirit of Alpine cars: lightness, sportiness, driving pleasure.You have five months!”

These werethe instructions given to the twenty-eight master’s students from the IstitutoEuropeo di Design (IED) design school based in Turin (Italy), who startedwork on the project in September 2021. An enthralling project as not only didthe students have to draw their futuristic concept-car on paper and then on computer,but they also had to life-size scale model of their design. As is the caseevery year when the school partners with a different car brand each time, the originalgoal was to present the final design at the Geneva Motor Show. Alas, the 2022edition was called off – following a previous cancellation in 2021 – but thatdid not dishearten students from seeing their project through to the end. Hence,the A4810 Project by IED concept-car, the fruits of their labours,was unveiled late last week, during a press conference held at the school’scampus.

Let the creative juices flow

They areyoung men and women who go by the names Nicolas, Carlos, Abhijeet, Virginia,Sanjay, Valentino, or Faruk, who hail from countries around the world such asIndia, China, Italy, the United States, the Dominican Republic, China, Mali,Spain, and Taiwan. Under the close supervision of two professors and thepatronage of Raphaël Linari, Chief Designer at Alpine – himself an IEDalum – they took to the project with enthusiasm, with only a simple oral briefand no supporting documents. "I gave them what they needed to understandthe brand, its design, and its legacy, but only very few constraints. They hadto give free rein to their creativity, without feeling like their hands weretied," Raphaël explains.

Thestudents set to work with without having to worry about any of the engineeringor manufacturing aspects. Only the vehicle’s general dimensions (length,height, width, and wheel size) were given in advance. Raphaël describes the projectin a rather visual manner: "The measurements are those of a supercar.They form a box within which the students had to place the driver, seats, powertrain,and overall shape of the vehicle.”

In fact,why a supercar and not a classic sports car like the A110 or an enduranceprototype like the A480? "We didn’t want to interfere with ongoingprojects at Alpine, be they for the open-road or sports cars, all the whilegiving students the opportunity to take the brand to new heights. It becamequickly obvious that ‘supercars’ was the best theme," explains Raphaëlwho also adds that Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine, was the one who wanted theconcept-car to be hydrogen powered for an even more forward-looking take on thebrand.

A truly professional selection process

In organisingthe project as such, Raphaël knew that he was asking students to share theirvision of the Alpine brand and to show how they thought its stylistic languagewould change in the future. He was only half surprised to find that despitetheir multiple backgrounds, most of the students had given a very ‘Latin’ lookto car. Nothing unusual for a cohort of students enrolled in an Italian school.

After each studenthaving presented their initial thoughts, a stringent selection process tookplace. "I reviewed each and every drawing with the same management as youwould expect in the world of professional design," explains Raphaël. “So,I made an initial shortlist of twelve proposals. Then Antony Villain, theAlpine Design Director, helped me whittle it down to just four. Lastly, LaurentRossi joined the process as we chose two winning proposals.”

Thestudents were therefore given hands on experience of the sort of process theywill encounter in their future careers as designers. Now, those whose designs werenot selected still stayed on as part of the project. As Raphaël clarified, "Thefinal design of the A4810 Project by IED is actually a mix of two main ideas thathad come from the students. Those who had been eliminated at each step of theway then worked on various features of the final concept design such as the rims,seats, colour, materials, and more.”

In search of tomorrow's talent

Aftertheory comes practice; in other words, the students then had to turn make a physicalcopy of the concept-car. This phase involved a great deal of discussion betweenRaphaël Linari and IED students and professors, sometimes even late at night oron weekends. "It showed their mindset and level of commitment to theproject," says Raphaël. “For my part, I spent my own personal timeaccompanying them throughout the project, but it was the least you could do insuch a situation when you are ‘gifted’ a concept car that will boost brand visibility.”

Thestudents knuckled down and gave it their all, while their teachers called ontheir network of contacts to find people to help make the scale model (milling,modelling, painting, etc.), as well as suppliers for rims (OZ Racing) and tyres(Pirelli). "They used their ingenuity right to the end," notesRaphael. For him, there is no doubt in his mind: "They had a blast onthis project; we could see they were having fun and that there was a positive energyin the group. It is evident in the final product, be it the drawings, the model,or even the photos.”

Thisspectacular project is an example of how Alpine is also opening up to a newgeneration of designers. While the brand has a long tradition of partneringwith schools, this particular partnership – with the real-life concept-car atthe end – has shown Raphaël Linari and Antony Villain a whole new talent pool. “Alpineis a brand that has just been reborn and is looking to the future. Full ofambition, it upholds positive values, such as inclusion and diversity, that areimportant for new generations. This kind of partnership with schools andstudents is a real win-win strategy for all," says Raphaëlenthusiastically.

Who knows! Maybesomewhere in the group of IED students who worked on the A4810 Project by IED concept car hides a designer who, come 2035,will be overseeing a real Alpine supercar...