It’s no secret that Ryan Reynolds is one of the most popular actors in the world. Between playing the Marvel character Deadpool and engaging in playful banter with his wife, Blake Lively, on social media, he’s made his mark in Hollywood. And in 2021, when he and fellow actor Rob McElhenney, took over Welsh soccer club Wrexham and helped it get back into the Football League after a 15-year absence, the duo made their mark in the sports industry. That’s when they decided to continue their pursuit of making teams a success and invested in Alpine F1.

On 26th June, a consortium consisting of Reynolds, McElhenney, and Michael B. Jordan, alongside Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners, bought a 24% stake in Alpine, investing a whopping $218 million. While Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi mentioned that the partnership is to improve the brand’s media profile, it’s come to light that he has an ulterior motive.

Laurent Rossi & Co. are banking on Ryan Reynolds’ paparazzi

Alpine, as a standalone company, started in 1955 as a manufacturer of sportscars. But since its inception, the French brand has been closely related to another French car manufacturer—Renault. And in 1973, Renault bought Alpine and merged into Renault Sport in 1976. Now, the brand is a sportscar and an F1 car manufacturer—the same company that Ryan Reynolds & Co. invested in.

Alpine, as a car manufacturer, isn’t very popular right now. In a world that’s slowly shifting to electric cars, it has none. But this investment by the famous Hollywood actor came when the company announced that it’ll be manufacturing only electric cars from 2026. It’ll also start its “world expansion phase” in 2027, targeting US markets. And that’s where Reynolds comes in. Alpine wants to use his popularity to boost the brand’s image in people’s eyes because if someone like Reynolds trusts the brand and drives its cars, what reason do his fans have not to? 

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According to Sport1.de, in an interview about the investment, Rossi said, “We want to tackle sports car territories in the future, and the USA is at the forefront.” [translated via Google] Reynolds is immensely popular in the US and is sure to attract paparazzi wherever he goes. And if he does that in an Alpine, the brand will get the needed exposure.

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If getting people in the US interested in Alpine is the primary goal, it can be achieved in other ways too. After all, F1, to a large extent, became popular in the US because of Netflix’s docuseries Drive to Survive. Alpine could be interested in doing something similar with Reynolds and his team.

Is an Alpine documentary in the cards?

After their takeover of Wrexham AFC in 2021, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney made a documentary on the club called “Welcome to Wrexham.” the documentary followed the pair as they learned how to run the club. Given the documentary’s success and the attention it garnered for Wrexham, Alpine might be interested in doing the same, considering improving its media profile is one of its goals.

F1 photographer Kym Illman expressed how good an Alpine documentary would be. He said, “Having watched the sensational Wrexham Football Club doco recently, I’m thrilled to learn today that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have spearheaded a €200m investment in Alpine. This values the team around US$900m. The TV doco should be a ripper.”

What do you think of Rossi’s ulterior motive for signing the Ryan Reynolds & Co. deal?

WATCH THIS STORY | Amidst Allegations Against Ryan Reynolds’ $218 Million Investment, Alpine CEO Finally Speaks About the Mega Deal