Alpine's Bold Electric Start
Before diving into the fashion-forward details, it's important to understand the car at the heart of this partnership. The Alpine A290 is a significant vehicle, marking the brand's official entry into the electric era. Based on the acclaimed new Renault
5, the A290 is a B-segment hot hatch designed to bring Alpine’s signature agility and driving pleasure to the world of EVs. With its compact, muscular proportions and a powertrain offering up to 215 horsepower, it promises a zero-to-62 mph sprint of just 6.4 seconds in its top trim. It’s a modern interpretation of the classic hot hatch formula, built for twisty roads and city streets, and it serves as the foundation for Alpine’s all-electric “Dream Garage”.
A Tale of Two French Icons
The collaboration between Alpine and Lacoste feels surprisingly natural once you look past the initial surprise. Both brands were founded by visionary French pioneers—Jean Rédélé for Alpine and René Lacoste for his eponymous fashion label. Each founder built a legacy on a shared ethos of performance, lightness, and functional elegance, whether on the racetrack or the tennis court. This partnership is more than a simple branding exercise; it's presented as a meeting of shared values and a celebration of French ingenuity. The project, which includes the car, a capsule clothing collection, and a short film, was unveiled in late June 2026 to showcase this common ground.
Beware of the Crocodile
The centerpiece of the collaboration is a spectacular one-off show car named the “Beware of the Crocodile - Alpine Lacoste A290 Rallye”. While the headline teases a car dressed in red, the reality is more creative. The exterior is actually finished in a matte bluish-white paint inspired by alpine snow and ice. The dramatic red is saved for the interior, creating a bold contrast and drawing inspiration from one of Lacoste’s most iconic elements: the red inside the crocodile’s mouth. The car itself is based on the A290 Rallye, a purpose-built competition version with a wider track, aggressive aerodynamics, and a chassis optimised for performance, making it a genuine motorsport platform rather than just a styled-up road car.
A Design Dressed in Detail
The genius of this collaboration is in the details. The design teams playfully incorporated 290 crocodile logos throughout the vehicle’s interior and exterior, a nod to both the car's model name and the fashion brand's mascot. The headlights have been stylised to evoke a crocodile's gaze, while the interior features seats with advanced 3D-printed lattice structures for weight reduction and comfort. In a true fusion of the two worlds, the steering wheel and seats are partially wrapped in Lacoste's signature 'petit piqué' cotton fabric, typically used for its iconic polo shirts. Every element, from the clean white aerodisc wheels to the debossed Lacoste branding on the front bumper, has been thoughtfully integrated.
More Than Just a Show Car
The partnership extends beyond the rally car itself, aiming to create a complete lifestyle statement. A co-branded capsule collection of clothing and accessories has been released, translating the project's spirit into wearable pieces like polo shirts, T-shirts, and technical outerwear. To bring the story to life, the brands produced a short film titled “The Test”. The humorous film stars two of their respective ambassadors, French actor Pierre Niney and BWT Alpine Formula One Team driver Pierre Gasly, as they interact with the unique vehicle. This multi-faceted approach shows how modern luxury collaborations are built on storytelling and cultural relevance, not just product placement.
