Alpine celebrates 60th anniversary

The relaunch of France's Alpine brand may have been pushed back to 2017, but a record-breaking get-together to celebrate the marque's 60th anniversary will keep it in the news this weekend.

The AAA (Association des Anciens d’Alpine – Association of Alpine), which includes former staff and aficionados, will mark the brand's 60th birthday with the largest gathering in its history at Dieppe over September 11-13.

According to brand custodian Renault, the event will see current Alpine representatives out in force alongside loyal aficionados to help celebrate six decades since the company was founded by Jean Rédélé in 1955.

Alpine chief Bernard Ollivier will be in attendance alongside Philippe Sinault’s Signatech-Alpine endurance racing team and its drivers, who will bring with them Alpine Vision Gran Turismo concept car, the Alpine Celebration show car and the A450B racing car.

More than 750 Alpines and their owners – and thousands of interested visitors – are expected to attend from across Europe. They will be treated to a packed program of activities and entertainment at an event that Renault says will "break all records in terms of participation, spectacle and emotion".

“Organising the largest-ever gathering of Alpine aficionados in Dieppe to celebrate the brand’s 60th anniversary clearly represents a colossal challenge," said Ollivier.

"It is, however, a challenge to which the AAA’s volunteer teams have risen magnificently, with the support of their partners, the city of Dieppe, the wider Dieppe Maritime conurbation, the department and the region.

"There have been painstaking preparations and a great many logistical hurdles have had to be overcome to allow us to enjoy what promises to be an unforgettable weekend – one that will be marked by friendship, sharing and enthusiasm. In other words, a thoroughly Alpine weekend!"