This is heading to 2013 Le Mans in the LMP2 category! I’m so excited my Alpine neurons are spazzing out.
src: renault
Author Archives: ST Darkers
intersection.
i really enjoyed looking at these series of nighttime photographs by Navid Baraty of nyc streets and intersections. many evenings, you’ll find me glaring out of my own window staring at the intersection nearby. i do think they are fascinating for their motion and for their halt and go premise.
src: behance
Matra 670.
Le Mans is coming in June! Exciting times this year with the return of Alpine. What better way to celebrate than a tribute to the wonderful Matra 670. The video at the bottom is really quite wicked.
this beautiful painting is by Yuriy Shevchuk:
video:
src photos: motorlegend
view 011.
all photos taken by IEDEI.
OFFICIAL: Alpine will be racing at the 2013 Le Mans!
I was expecting an announcement for 2014 Le Mans, but Renault has somewhat surprised everybody by announcing that there will be an Alpine badged car racing the LMP2 class in THIS year’s Le Mans. Wow. They’ve also released the ‘teaser’ pic above (tastefully tweaked by yours truly).
Here are some quotes directly from Renault:
“Today, another important step has been taken with the announcement that an Alpine prototype is to race in the competitive 2013 European Le Mans Series endurance racing championship (ELMS), as well as at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours (June 22-23).
The decision to compete at Le Mans fits perfectly with the brand’s heritage, since Alpine contested the famous 24-Hour race 11 times between 1963 and 1978, running a total of 55 factory cars. In addition to its successes in the ‘Energy Index’ classification in 1964, 1965 and 1968, as well as in the ‘Performance Index’ classification in 1968 and 1969, its efforts harvested seven class wins in total and, above all, outright victory in 1978 with the Alpine A442B prototype shared by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and Didier Pironi. The two Frenchmen were joined in the top four by the A442 of Jean Ragnotti and Guy Fréquelin.
For its return to Le Mans, Alpine has joined forces with Signatech. The Philippe Sinault-run team will enter an Alpine LM P2 prototype with an Alpine chassis powered by a 500hp Nissan engine for the five rounds of the ELMS, including the opening race at Silverstone, England (April 13). The drivers will be Nelson Panciatici and Pierre Ragues.
The highlight of the season will naturally be the Le Mans 24 Hours. The name of the third driver who will join the team for the world’s most famous endurance race will be announced when the car is officially presented at Le Castellet, France, on March 24.
Said Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer, Renault: “Alpine’s return to the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours in 2013 marks the beginning of a new adventure which is set to last. The passion that drives us is matched only by the humility and careful attention paid to costs that epitomise this comeback which itself has been made possible thanks to the involvement of our partners and supporters who I would like to thank formally here. Together, step by step, we will do our very best to write another exciting page in the history of Alpine, a truly outstanding name in the world of French sports cars.””
I AM SO EXCITED.
src: renault press services
view010.
It’s been a while since I posted some new photos. I am exclusively using my 21mm Elmarit on the M8 these days….an amazing wider angle lens, and a whole lot of fun to shoot with:
ALPINE returning to Le Mans!
An announcement is expected Friday to hear Renault introducing the plans for their return to endurance racing! LMP2 is surely expected by the 2014 racing season with possible LMP1 ambitions as well, and the engines are expected to carry the ALPINE badge! Renaultsport (which evolved out of the original Alpine after it stopped making cars 20+ years ago) will be tuning them and involved with the engine construction. All of this seems consistent with the Renault plan to resurrect one of the finest racing and rallying marques ever! I wonder if the cars themselves will be badged “Alpine-Renault” like the old days.
IEDEI is, of course, devoted to Alpine news and will offer updates as they come in. My biggest issue is going to be whether I root for Audi or Alpine? I have stayed up to watch almost all Le Mans races for the past several years….and am a die hard Audi fanboy. If Alpine makes it to LMP1 against Audi…..it will be very very tough for me to root against the boys in blue.
Exciting news.
BTW, to fuel the imagination, here is an interesting ‘re-interpretation’ (rendering) of the glorious Alpine A220 by Racing Emotion found at le Blog Auto. Obviously this is not a realistic vision, but still entertaining to look at!
src: racecarEngineering
Fulvia.
it’s been a long time since i posted a photo of a Fulvia. oh…..and being driven like a man!
Kia Provo.
Times have changed haven’t they? 5 years ago, i couldn’t have ever imagined getting excited over a Kia product. These days, with Peter Schreyer (one of my design heroes) in charge, Kia concepts are as exciting, design-wise, as any of the germans. If this car had a Lancia, Audi, or Alfa badge on it….we’d ALL be on the waiting list. Unfortunately as a Kia concept, much of the stunning concept material never makes it into production. That being said, Peter Schreyer is now HEAD of of Kia/Hyundai operations; so anything is possible! Could this be the next generation Veloster? Honestly if it looked like that, i could drive this work every day.
Behold the Kia Provo, set to debut in Geneva. My my…..what a wicked little car. Look at that funk filled interior. Love it. That front end is just sinister.
src: leftLaneNews (thanks to TTQ2K2 for the tip)
the greatest 2.5 minutes of cinema you have never seen.
Bollywood to the rescue. I’ve watched this scene about 10 times now….and i’m still overflowing with laughter.
quattros.
what was made, what was made very little of, and what was never made. All three are quattro icons.
src: audi australia
A220 V8 prototype.
This thing is out of this world. Quite honestly one of the most stunning race cars i’ve ever seen. One of 2 surviving Alpine A220 V8 prototypes developed, but never raced. On display now at Retromobile 2013. Currently privately owned, according to Renault Classic.
src: Renault Classic
“Nights In White Satin”
my mate Neil (ex-Mainline, ex-Brothers Movement) is now in a band called Sweet Jane, who last year released this cover of the Moody Blues’ “Nights In White Satin”. Pretty fantastic.
snapshot of my garage…
well at least in my head.
taken at the recent Monte Carlo Historique.
(click to enlarge)
src: renault classic
dignity.
this is quite simply just a beautiful set of photographs done by Bence Bakonyi in Shanghai, China. Lovely contrast and just a lovely idea.
band of the moment: Peace.
Madchester, early 90s UK indie, and with the sense of sarcasm and irony that is most welcome in these drab musical days—-Peace have released a couple of singles and one EP. All of them great. They do have sort of a frankly rubbish name—although i have to say i’m quite shocked there has never been another band named “Peace” before. I’m sure there have been; however they must have been insignificant.
(warning: the Wraith video below has significant amounts of dirty booty—so you have been warned at work!)
photo via counteract
CLA.
Well i’ve been pretty anxiously awaiting the new Mercedes Benz CLA, as i’m excited about the ‘next phase’ of Euro compact sedans and hatchbacks entering the deprived US market. I was expecting a lot out of the CLA design, as the Concept sort of blew me away last year. I wasn’t disappointed. In black…..this thing looks spectacular. Can I leave the 4 rings to go be the 3 pointed star? hmm….
oh and would you look at that interior! it matches my Fitzroy Chronograph watch! dig it lots.
src: mercedes-benz
welcome to the world of unimaginative sports car design.
Are there no design themes left? Aside from the rear end of the Ferrari F12 looking like a uterus, it pains me to see 3 sports cars, all in red, sitting on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show as we speak with front-end designs plagiarized and derived from each other. There are other headlight designs and front end treatments!!!!!!!! FIND A DIFFERENT ONE! How repulsive…
First 3 photos taken by majestic Mike Spinelli
Ferrari F12
Viper
C7 Corvette
bonus round! *face in palm*
Elise
Elise photo via carsession
view009.
Have been taking a lot of photos. It never gets old. Creating never gets old.
all photos taken by myself using either a Leica M8.1 or Ricoh GRD3 and an assortment of M-Mount lenses.
A110 and service van.
Epic!
src: Renault
A310 greenprint.
One of THE coolest automobiles ever made, obviously. The Alpine A310.
self portraits by Tseng Kwong Chi.
Today I had some time to kill while waiting for an annual NYS car inspection for the TT, so i walked over to a bookstore and saw a book of B&W photographs by Tseng Kwong Chi and was struck by their coolness. These photos were taken in the 1980s and published in a series known as East Meets West.
To me, he comes across like a futuristic asian tourist-slash-government official investigator! brilliant.
src: paulKasminGallery
IEDEI 
