Alpine
Recently relaunched sports car marque that’s part of the Renault group. Heritage includes signature 1971 Monte Carlo Rally win for the diminutive A110, a coupe whose form and name is reflected in the company’s current mid-engined sports car, also known as the A110. This little two-seater has been acclaimed by motoring journalists for its handling finesse. The Alpine name has reached worldwide TV audiences with the Alpine Formula One team, featuring the veteran Fernando Alonso.
De La Chapelle
Quixotic and proudly independent car maker that traces its roots back to the early 1900s, when the De La Chapelle brothers produced cars under the Stimula badge, revived by Xavier de la Chapelle in the 1970s, going on to produce bespoke road cars as well as highly regarded replicas of 1930s Bugattis. After focus on electric people-carriers, De La Chapelle now offers the remarkable new-from-old Atalante Series 6, based on 1930s Bugatti Atalante, and powered by a V8 engine.
Axiam
Are they cars or are they quadricycles? Diminutive all-electric products of this highly individual French marque don’t require a car licence, which has given these tiny vehicles an unlikely popularity, especially in French urban areas. Axiam are understandably smug about being ahead of the electric curve, and the company’s tiny electric pick-ups also have a large following. Perfect transport for your artisanal boulangerie.
Venturi
French marque, now Monaco-based, Venturi’s attractive GTs attracted a devoted – if small – following in the 1980s. Reinvented as an all-electric brand, Venturi claims its 2004 Fétish concept, a radical open-top two seater, was the first true electric sports car. Subsequent concepts have pushed the boundaries of electric power, underlined by the company’s entry in the battery-powered Formula E single-seater series – and the one-off Venturi Buckeye Bullet, which holds the world record for fastest electric vehicle, reaching 340 mph.
Ligier
Founded by former Formula One racer Guy Ligier, the company initially focussed on Grand Prix single seaters, scoring nine notable victories culminating in an unlikely win in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. Ligier’s road-going vehicles today are at the other end of the motoring scale: tiny microcars powered initially by 50 cc petrol engines and now available as an all-electric range, topped by the JS50, a chequered flag on its nose celebrating Ligier’s distinguished motor sport heritage.
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