Spy Shots: Renault Alpine Mule Caught In Lotus Clothing

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We have known for quite some time that Renault has been preparing to revive the Alpine brand; however, with exception to the Alpine A110-50 Concept announced back in 2012, all we have been able to do so far is speculate. That all changes today, as our spy photographers managed to catch the Renault Alpine mule out for its first known testing session.

You may wonder why this Renault Alpine looks so much like a Lotus sports car. Well, that is the purpose of a mule, as this sexy British-built body is carefully hiding the Alpine’s French technology, especially the chassis that that rides beneath this widened Lotus shell.

The test group was caught at the Swedish company, Öhlins, alongside several other models from Renault Sport, including the Megane RS and Clio — A Lotus among this group is about as out of place as a Camaro on a Ford showroom.

We expect the new Renault Alpine to be unveiled sometime in 2015 and to hit the market at a price of about $50k.

Click past the jump for a better look at the spy shots

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Spy shots

Of course, do not expect the production version of the Renault Alpine to look anything like the mule caught testing. Renault said it will try to revive the look of the look of the A110 Berlinette from the ’60s and ’70s.

Also, we expect to see some design elements from the 2012 Alpine A110-50 Concept, like the half-domed additional lamps with full-LED yellow lighting and the famous "Alpine Blue" exterior paint.