Both electric hatchbacks share motorsport liveries and white alloy wheels. The Firefly APW Storm Eye features a carbon fiber bodykit and a roof rack. The one-off Alpine A290 Tour de Corse prevails in historical accuracy. It is not uncommon for design trends in the automotive industry to converge, but every now and then, two cars from entirely different corners of the world end up looking like siblings. That is exactly the case with a pair of electric subcompact hatchbacks hailing from France and China – the one-off Alpine A290 Tour de Corse and the custom Firefly APW Storm Eye. While completely unrelated, the two builds share an uncanny visual recipe that blends modern electric mobility with retro motorsport nostalgia. Both feature special liveries combining bright yellow shades with black and white graphics. They also ride on white alloy wheels and come fitted with rally-inspired LEDs on their noses. More: FIA’s Neutered 2027 WRC Cars Look Ready For A GTA Heist The Chinese half of this sibling pairing debuted at the 2025 Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition in November. It is called the Firefly Storm Eye and is a custom build brought to life by a high performance modification studio called APW (Active Planet Walk). The goal was to showcase the personalization potential of the Firefly EV which is owned by NIO. Firefly Storm Eye by APW Besides the Storm Gold livery, the black stripes, and the white wheels, the WRC-inspired model features coilover suspension and a carbon fiber bodykit. The latter includes wide fender extensions, a front splitter, side skirts, a rear diffuser, and an oversized rear wing. More: China’s Biggest Electric SUV Yet Wasn’t Made For Drivers Furthermore, a pair of custom roof rails make the hatchback compatible with a Thule roof rack for carrying extra gear on rally stages. Finally, the interior combines white upholstery with yellow stitching and matching seatbelts. There is no word on any performance upgrades, so we can assume that the small hatchback sticks with the standard electric motor producing 141 hp (105 kW / 143 PS) and 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) of torque, sourcing energy from a 42.1 kWh battery pack. Alpine A290 Tour de Corse by SAMM.O The French model is a one-of creation by automotive photographer and designer Oscar Molero (SAMM.O) in collaboration with Atelier Alpine Barcelona. It is called the Alpine A290 Tour de Corse tribute, and wraps the fully electric hot hatch in a modern interpretation of one of one of the brand’s most iconic racing liveries. More: Alpine’s New A290 Rallye Throws Mud And Sparks At $70K The exterior is finished in a yellow shade similar to the Renault 5. However, in the case of the special Alpine it is combined with black and white stripes on the profile. Other highlights include the black hood with the white line around the edges, the yellow accents on the lower part of the body, the Tour de Corse lettering on the charging port, and the white “Snowflake” wheels with red brake calipers. In terms of performance, the R5-based Alpine A290 is propelled by a front-mounted electric motor producing up to 215 hp (160 kW / 218 PS) and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque, in combination with a 52 kWh battery. So Who Did It Best? While the Firefly custom technically crossed the public debut finish line first, the Alpine project holds the upper hand when it comes to historical originality. The livery of the French hatchback is directly inspired by the A110 Tour de Corse rally car from 1975, following the example of the limited-run A110 Tour de Corse 75 special edition from 2022. Still, it is nice to see Chinese automakers experimenting with motorsport-style builds, and hopefully bringing them into production rather than reserving them for auto shows.