Design round-up: Alpine X Lacoste; Rolls-Royce Phantom Regatta; fifth-gen BMW X5

ALPINE A290

Car Design News looks at news that may have gone under the radar, including the latest updates from Alpine, Rolls-Royce; Bentley; BMW and people news

Lucy Abbott Lucy Abbott Assistant editor

Published 6 July 2026 - 13:04

Alpine X Lacoste collaborate for one-off model

French brands Alpine and Lacoste have joined forces to create a one-off concept that leans into motorsport and fashion.

Dubbed the ‘Beware of the Crocodile – Alpine Lacoste A290 Rallye’, designers from the two brands have built the concept around the red of Lacoste’s crocodile tongue with a monochrome red cabin trimmed with the brand’s signature petit piqué fabric.

The concept’s playful feel is countered by more aggressive styling: widened tracks, exposed carbon fibre, 3D-printed seat components and no less than 290 hidden crocodile motifs.

Antony Villain, VP of design at Alpine, says it “ embodies the meeting of two French brands that share the same taste for movement, precision and boldness... blending the technicality of competition, the lightness of design and the elegance of timeless style..”

Full release here.

Rolls-Royce presents the Phantom Regatta

Inspired by the waters of the English South Coast, this one-of-one Phantom Extended takes inspiration from the racing yachts of the coast as well as from the water itself.

The exterior is finished in Regatta Blue – a deep marine tone – over a lower body of English White. The interior follows a similar two-tone approach, with Navy Blue leather in the front of the cabin and Grace White in the rear.

The hand-painted Watercolour gallery artwork stretches the full-width of the dashboard, created using a newly developed paint-blending technique to capture the movement of the sea. Above, a bespoke Starlight Headliner maps the swirling tidal currents around the Isle of Wight, with 1,307 individually placed fibre-optic stars.

Marine influences continue throughout the cabin, where the rear picnic tabletops are finished as a yacht deckand composed of 16 planks of Royal Walnut laid by hand from the centre outwards – mirroring the grain to achieve a book matched effect.

Full release here.

Bentley reveals most ‘exclusive’ Supersports specification

‘Design Theme by Mulliner’ is Bentley’s newest specification, introducing a paint fade running from one side of the car to the other. A single off-centre highlight stripe runs from front to rear, aligned with the passenger seat.

Exterior details include a number eight to the front grille and an accent pinstripe to the carbon diffusers, fender blades and sills.

There are three themes applied to both exterior and interior – Dragon Red to Black Crystal exterior paired with Hotspur and Beluga interior; Electric Blue to Dark Sapphire with a Klein blue and Imperial Blue cabin; and Pale Brodgar to Brodgar (bronze-grey metallic) with a Camel and Beluga interior.

Full release here.

Fifth-generation BMW X5 revealed with refreshed design

The exterior of the latest BMW X5 is characterised by an upright front end with the BMW Iconic Glow vertical kidney grille, and a new switchable double X icon for the DRLs makes its debut. The side profile is made up of a contoured silhouette with a sloping roofline and muscular wheel arches. Wide shoulders and a recessed glasshouse aim to improve aerodynamics and efficiency.

The cabin has also undergone an update, with a new wrap-around cockpit that introduces a 3D backlit ambient light strip. A new range of steering wheels have been added – including a Smoke White BMW Individual steering wheel in Merino Leather.

Full release here.