If you are keeping count of the retro concepts at the 2026 Paris Motor Show, you can add one more. Alpine has unveiled the A310 Vision, a one-off design study that celebrates two anniversaries: 55 years since the original four-cylinder A310 was launched in 1971, and 50 years since the arrival of the A310 V6.
The A310 was Alpine’s wedge-shaped answer to the Porsche 911 in the 1970s, and for decades it has lived in the shadow of the more famous A110. Now it is back, at least as a design statement.
Sketched around the original
Alpine’s designers took a very direct approach. They placed an original A310 in the middle of their studio and sketched around it by hand, asking what the car would look like if it were designed today rather than in 1971.
The result keeps the low, sharp wedge of the original but pushes the proportions to the extreme. The concept is 4.55 metres long but only 1.18 metres tall, with a rear track that stretches the body to 2.03 metres wide. The aluminium bodywork sits on a dark lower section inspired by Formula 1 cars, while the cabin is covered by a semi-transparent canopy.
The details mix old and new. The original’s pop-up headlights become “pop-down” lights that appear from the bodywork when the car starts. The wheels use a triangular “A” design that echoes the original A310’s rims. At the rear, a split wing in transparent material and blade-shaped tail lights help with aerodynamics. Inside, which Alpine has only partly revealed, there are organically shaped seats and physical controls inspired by high-end hi-fi equipment.
| Alpine A310 Vision | Key facts |
|---|---|
| Type | One-off design concept, two seats |
| Celebrates | 55 years of the A310 (1971) and 50 years of the A310 V6 |
| Platform | Alpine Performance Platform (APP), 800 volts |
| Length / height | 4.55 m / 1.18 m |
| Maximum width | 2.03 m (at the rear) |
| Wheelbase | 2.45 m |
| Powertrain, battery, performance | Not announced |
| Production | Not planned |
Source: Alpine.
A showcase for a new platform
The A310 Vision is built on the new Alpine Performance Platform (APP), the 800-volt architecture that will first be used for the next, fully electric A110. Alpine also showed the A110 Sculpture in Paris, which previews that third-generation sports car.
For the A310 Vision, however, Alpine has not released any technical data: no power, battery, range, charging or weight figures. The concept’s purpose is to show how much design freedom the new platform offers.
Not the A310 you can buy
There is an important point that may cause confusion. Alpine says the A310 Vision is not a preview of a production model. At the same time, the brand has previously announced plans for a different electric A310: a larger 2+2 on the same APP platform, which could arrive around 2028, although Alpine has not confirmed the timing.
In other words, the two-seat concept in Paris and the future four-seat production car share a name and a platform, but they are not the same car.
Our take: retro, but at least it looks forward
The A310 Vision fits perfectly into the trend we have seen all week in Paris, where many European brands are looking back at their own history. Like the Renault 4 and 5, the Citroën 2CV and the Peugeot E-T16, it is built around an anniversary and a famous name from the past.
To be fair, Alpine has done a better job than most. The A310 Vision is not a modern copy of the original, but a radical, almost futuristic reinterpretation that only borrows the spirit and proportions of the 1971 car. Still, it is telling that even when Alpine wants to show off the possibilities of a brand-new electric platform, it chooses to do it with a 55-year-old shape.
