The Alpine A290 Has Been Turned Into A Skid-Ready Rally Car

The new Renault 5 deserves praise not only for how it’s bundled superb design and a good drive into one decently affordable package, but also for how much fun Renault is having with different versions of the model. As well as the ultra-limited, supercar-baiting 5 Turbo 3E, there’s the Alpine A290 hot hatch, and now that car’s going racing, too.

This is the A290 Rallye, a fully competition-prepared rally version of the Alpine-fettled electro hot hatch. It gets the same front axle-mounted 217bhp, 221lb ft motor as the spiciest GTS version of the road car, but now transmits that power through a limited-slip diff.

The brakes have been beefed up too, with six-pot monoblock callipers and 350mm discs up front, and a set of 280mm discs and single-piston callipers at the back. It has a motorsport-specific ABS system, but most importantly in the braking department is a hydraulic handbrake the driver can yank to kick the back end out.

It has the same MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension as the roadgoing car, but the shock absorbers a new design from French specialist ALP. The wheels, meanwhile, are fantastic 18-inch EVO Corse rally-style items, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport A rubber.

Finally, Alpine has paid attention to the biggest thing that’s kept viewers away from electric motorsport: noise. The A290 Rallye, it says, has a new sound system that’ll emit some sort of noise that’s relevant to the speed and throttle position. Bonus points if it sounds like an old Group B R5 Maxi Turbo.

Offered as a turnkey car, with prices starting at €59,990 (around £51,700) before VAT, the A290 Rallye’s competition career will kick off with a new single-make championship in France this year, with the manufacturer offering tech support to competitors. It’ll also be enterable independently in any other rally championships that accept it.

All sounds lovely, which just leaves one question: how about sticking some of these bits on the road car, Alpine? We definitely wouldn’t say no to an LSD, those excellent wheels or the retro base livery in these pics. Or the hydraulic handbrake, for that matter, but that might be more of a pipe dream.