The car’s the star

Seen The Running Man? Paramount’s latest shoot ’em up based on a Stephen King novel, directed by Edgar Wright and starring Glen Powell? There’s another star in the movie, which if you have seen it you’ll have clocked is an Alpine A290. It’s a bit part, yes, but quite a bit for the sparkling electric hot hatch launched last year and which, along with its R5 sister, garnered the European Car of the Year award.

So how did it get there? Welcome to the black art of cars on screen, where nothing is quite what it seems and those who claim to be in the know, quite often are anything but.

One man who does know his onions in the screen-car business is Phil Whitehead, owner of Brand Infusion, a prop and product placement agency that works with Renault on such matters.

And he’s cock-a-hoop about the little Alpine (as is Renault).