Alpina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Public |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Headquarters | Buchloe, Germany |
| Key people | Burkard Bovensiepens |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Website | www.alpina-automobile.de |
Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany selling their own cars, based on BMW cars.
Contents |
[edit] History
ALPINA was founded by Burkard Bovensiepen, (b. 1936) who is still the CEO, started in 1965 with the foundation of Burkard Bovensiepen KG at Kaufbeuren in the southern German province of Bavaria. The original name can be traced to Dr. Rudolf Bovensiepen, his father, whose company's purpose was to make office machinery.
ALPINA typewriters were hugely successful, however the original Alpina ceased to exist at the end of the 1960's in their attempt to move into the textile industry. Then, in 1965 Burkard established a BMW tuning business, following his success with investments in the stock market, he started the tuning business in an outbuilding of the original Alpina typewriter factory. He took on the name of his father’s business - ALPINA the legend was born.
By 1967 there were six determined employees the company working on carburetors and now revising cylinder heads. By 1970, with seventy employees and with high demand for ALPINA products, the original facility was too small and changed locations from Kaufbeuren to Buchloe.
Between 1968 and 1977, ALPINA cars did very well in competition. The highlight was in 1970, when ALPINA-developed cars won the European Touring Car Championship, the German hill-climb, rally and track racing championships and the prestigious Spa-Francorchamps 24 hour endurance race.
1973 was the start of the oil crisis and many tuners fell victim to it. At this time Burkard’s foresight was to put emphasis on fuel consumption. ALPINA cars of the time used up no more petrol than the same series of factory BMW cars. In fact the ALPINA B2 3.0S was even lower in consumption than the factory BMW series. Such that through the oil crisis there remained a loyal following to ALPINA, making ALPINA the largest tuning business in 1973 with 85 employees and now was in front as the largest tuning company in Europe, ahead of Abarth of Italy.
[edit] Brand distinctions
Modern-day ALPINA vehicles are not "BMW cars modified by ALPINA"; while other companies like AC Schnitzer, Hartge, Racing Dynamics, Hamann Motorsport, and Dinan Cars are tuners that modify cars. This is quite important when buying an ALPINA and importing it from Germany. Since the late 70's Alpina has been recognized by TuV as an automobile manufacturer, thus "ALPINA"-built cars are branded and registered as "ALPINA" and not "BMW," although owner privileges through BMW are maintained. ALPINA is a stand alone car manufacturer in close co-operation with BMW, therefore an ALPINA can be bought and serviced at local BMW dealerships, and covered if there is a warranty issue.
Distinctive features of ALPINA vehicles are 20 spoke alloy wheels, "ALPINA Blue" patented metallic paint, in addition to expensive interior materials used to fabricate the exclusive interior appointments. A typical blue and green pattern (same as in the logo) is often used on interior parts such as stitchings on leather and different fabrics used in the upholstery.
Also a thin, almost pinstripe like outside body decor set in gold or silver is also a trademark of ALPINA cars.
An ALPINA metal plate inside also proves the heritage and the serial number of the car.
Most recently ALPINA have produced a version of the current BMW E60 5-Series called the B5, which rivals the BMW M5. The B5 offers a different take on performance and how to get it: unlike the V10 M5, the ALPINA B5 uses a supercharged V8 which produces similar power but has far greater torque.
The ALPINA logo looks heraldic, but it actually displays a crankshaft and a Weber dual-throat carburetor.
[edit] Current Lineup
- ALPINA D3 Bi-Turbo Coupe based on the BMW E92 with 123d engine - 214 hp
- ALPINA B3 Bi-Turbo Sedan / Coupe and Cabrio: based on the BMW E90 335i
- ALPINA B5s Sedan/Touring: based on the BMW E60 5 Series - featuring a 4.4 L V8 supercharged 530 PS/725 NM
- ALPINA B6s Coupé/Cabriolet: based on the BMW 6 Series - featuring a 4.4 L V8 supercharged 530 PS/725 NM
- ALPINA B7 Sedan: based on the BMW E65 7-Series - featuring a 4.4-litre V8 supercharged 500 PS/700 NM - It is also the only ALPINA that can be bought in America.
[edit] Previous Models
- ALPINA B10 Sedan/Touring based on the BMW E28, BMW E34, and BMW E39
- ALPINA B3 Sedan/Touring based on the BMW E36
[edit] Previous Diesel Models
- ALPINA D3 Sedan/Touring based on the BMW E90 320d - 200 hp
- ALPINA D10 Sedan/Touring based on the BMW E39 530d - featuring sequential turbochargers (biturbo) 245 PS/390 NM
