Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen

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Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen
GmbH + Co. KG

logo
legal form GmbH & Co. KG
founding January 1, 1965
Seat Buchloe , Germany
management Burkard Bovensiepen,
Andreas Bovensiepen ,
Florian Bovensiepen
Number of employees 270 (as of 2018)
sales EUR 90 million (as of 2014)
Branch Motor vehicle manufacturer
Website www.alpina-automobiles.com

The Alpina GmbH + Co. KG (proper spelling Alpina GmbH + Co. KG ) is a German car manufacturer based in Buchloe .

Alpina has been active in BMW tuning and motorsport since the 1960s and in 1978 became a manufacturer of passenger cars based on products from BMW AG . Since 1983, the company based in Buchloe in the Ostallgäu district has been registered as an official automobile manufacturer at the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg . In 2003 the company had a turnover of 60 million euros, 80% of which came from the auto division; 940 vehicles were produced that year. In 2004 the company had 150 employees, in 2008 185 and in 2017 more than 250 employees.

In 2007, more than 1,400 vehicles were produced a year for the first time. In 2014, around 200 employees produced around 1700 vehicles and generated sales of 90 million euros. Around 600 vehicles were sold in the home market of Germany , around 400 units each went to the USA and Japan . The second mainstay of the family business is the wine trade .

Company history and vehicles

Alpina headquarters in Buchloe
Alpina nameplate
classic Alpina bike (with rim lock )
Alpina models (current)
model Base
BMW Alpina D3 S (Diesel) BMW 3 Series ( G20 )
BMW Alpina D3 S (Diesel) BMW 3 Series ( G21 )
BMW Alpina B3 BMW 3 Series ( G20 )
BMW Alpina B3 BMW 3 Series ( G21 )
Alpina XD3 Quad-Turbo (Diesel) BMW X3 ( G01 )
Alpina XD4 Quad-Turbo (Diesel) BMW X4 ( G02 )
Alpina D5 S Tri-Turbo (Diesel) BMW 5 Series ( G30 )
Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo BMW 5 Series ( G30 )
Alpina B7 BMW 7 Series ( G12 )
Alpina XB7 BMW X7 ( G07 )

The company was officially founded on January 1, 1965. The founder, Burkard Bovensiepen, who was born in 1936, is still in charge of the management team, to which his sons Andreas and Florian now also belong. Burkard Bovensiepen's father already ran a production company for office machines under the name Alpina .

The BMW automobiles that serve as the basis are equipped by Alpina with modified chassis, brakes, interior fittings, etc. The core of an Alpina automobile is the engine, which is based and modified on a BMW engine block and cylinder head .

An Alpina is now being assembled at the BMW plant. Alpina delivers the components there and then receives the finished vehicle for delivery preparation. In addition to Germany , Great Britain , Japan and the Middle East are important markets for Alpina.

BMW Alpina 3.0 CSL (1974), driven by Helmut Koinigg
M10 BMW 2002 tii Alpina A4 with Kugelfischer injection and Alpina single throttle system
BMW Alpina B7 Turbo Coupé from 1984

From 1963 to 1977 Alpina was a vehicle tuner . BMW granted the Alpina vehicles the full factory warranty. The cooperation with BMW AG is still a decisive factor in the company's ability to occupy a market niche in the passenger car sector.

The starting point for the refinement of BMW automobiles was a tuning kit for the BMW 1500 of the " New Class ". The BMW 02 series soon formed the core of the tuning activities. But the 6-cylinder models (BMW E3, BMW E9, later BMW E12 and E21) were also popular tuning objects. The vehicles were converted either by Alpina or by BMW dealers; however, all parts were also available individually. For this reason, it is now difficult to understand when and where a renovation took place. The 4-cylinder versions ( BMW M10 ) all had an A in the designation, the small 6-cylinder versions a C ( BMW M20 ) and the large 6-cylinder versions a B ( BMW M30 ).

An Alpina A4S engine is a BMW 2002 tii 4-cylinder engine (M10) with a 300-degree camshaft, revised valve and crank drive, individual throttle system (mechanical Kugelfischer injection with one throttle valve per cylinder) and, Recognizable by the S , with forged pistons and adapted hemispherical combustion chambers. Instead of the standard 96 kW achieved with a central throttle valve, depending on the camshaft, this resulted in around 129–147 kW (without forged pistons as Alpina A4 with 300-degree camshaft approx. 118 kW), and this with very good exhaust gas and consumption values.

Even the 118 kW version of the A4 was able to clearly outperform the BMW 2002 turbo, which was nominally more powerful with 125 kW, on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in the car, engine and sport test , which illustrates the capabilities of the Alpina vehicles of that time.

This single throttle system developed by Alpina itself marked the transition from tuner to manufacturer. Since that time, the single throttle system has also adorned the Alpina logo on the left, together with the crankshaft on the right. Before that, the Alpina logo consisted of a double carburetor on the left and a camshaft on the right. The business began with these parts at the time of the BMW 1500. The house colors were initially Colorado orange and matte black, later a bright green and royal blue .

At that time, all tuning levels were offered, from improved series vehicles to circuit racing vehicles, with which Alpina itself also participated very successfully in racing events.

In cooperation with BMW M , which still produces the M models, the BMW 3.0 CSL was developed as a homologation model for motorsport in the early 1970s .

In the 1960s and 1970s, Alpina successfully participated in international touring car racing. Professionals such as B. Niki Lauda and Derek Bell were driving the Alpina cars at this time. In 1987 and 1988 Alpina took part in the DTM . At the end of 2007, Alpina announced that it wanted to return to motorsport with a model based on the Alpina B6S. The car should comply with the FIA GT3 regulations and start mainly in the FIA GT3 European Championship and the ADAC GT Masters . The racing car known as the Alpina B6 GT3 made its debut in 2009 and in 2011 promoted Alexandros Margaritis and Dino Lunardi to the title win in the ADAC GT Masters.

The first vehicles that Alpina built as a manufacturer were the Alpina B6, the Alpina C1 (both based on the first 3 Series, the BMW E21 ) and the Alpina B7 Turbo (based on the 5 Series BMW E12 and later the 6 Series E24 and the new 5 Series E28 ). The four-door version of the B7 Turbo with a displacement of 3 liters and 221 kW (300 PS) was the fastest sedan in the world at the time ; later there was also the B7S Turbo with a 3.5-liter engine and 243 kW (330 PS) .

Probably the best-known representative from Alpina and also Burkard Bovensiepen's favorite car was the Alpina B10 Bi-Turbo, based on the BMW 535i E34, presented in 1989 . With a top speed of over 290 km / h, the vehicle was the fastest production sedan in the world. The output of 265 kW (360 PS) (the BMW 535i E34 had 155 kW / 211 PS) was achieved even at high outside temperatures. Paul Frère , well-known racing driver and journalist, wrote about the B10 Bi-Turbo in Road & Track magazine : "For me this is the car ... I think this is the best 4door in the world."

Another special feature was the B6 3.5 S, which was only manufactured 62 times on the basis of the BMW M3 (E30) and had a 3.5 liter 6-cylinder with 187 kW (254 hp).

Alpina B6 - Cabrio based on a BMW E64

In the 1990s, Alpina manufactured the Alpina B8 , among other things . The Alpina engineers built a 232 kW (later 245 kW) 4.0 l or 4.6 l 8-cylinder engine (based on BMW M60 ) into the body of a 6-cylinder engine. Engines provided for the 3 series ( BMW E36 ). A total of 221 units of the B8 4.6 were produced from January 1995 to November 1998 (93 sedans, 78 coupés, 23 convertibles and 27 touring). The first Alpina diesel , the D10 Biturbo (180 kW), made its debut at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show . A second diesel followed in autumn 2005 with the D3. The basic model for the D3 (147 kW) was the BMW 320d. Its successor, the D3 Biturbo, has an output of 157 kW. The product range currently consists of the D3 S , B3 Bi-Turbo , D5 S , B5 Bi-Turbo , XD3 , XD4 and the B7 models .

Externally, the Alpina models can often be recognized by the special Alpina wheels with 20 spokes, characteristic front and rear spoilers and the Alpina decorative stripes. These are contour adhesive strips in a special design that are attached around the vehicle or on the front spoiler, in a silver or gold finish, depending on the customer's requirements.

photos

Current models

  • Alpina B3 Touring based on the BMW 3 Series

  • Alpina B5 Touring based on the BMW 5 Series

  • Alpina D5 S based on the BMW 5 Series G30

  • Alpina XD3 based on the BMW X3

  • Alpina XD4 based on the BMW X4

Technical data of the current models

model cylinder Displacement Max. power Max. Torque 0-100 km / h V max
D3 S R6 2993 cc 261 kW (355 hp) at 4000 to 4200 min -1 730 Nm at 1750 to 2750 min -1 4.6 s 273 km / h
B3 R6 2993 cc 340 kW (462 hp) at 5,500 to 7,000 min -1 700 Nm at 2500-4500 min -1 3.8 s 303 km / h
D5 S R6 2993 cc 285 kW (388 hp) at 4000-5000 min -1 800 Nm at 1750-2650 min -1 4.4 s 286 km / h
B5 bi-turbo V8 4395 cc 447 kW (608 hp) at 5750 to 6250 min -1 800 Nm at 3000-5000 min -1 3.5 s 330 km / h
B7 V8 4395 cc 447 kW (608 hp) at 5500-6500 min -1 800 Nm at 2000-5000 min -1 3.6 s 330 km / h
XD3 R6 2993 cc 285 kW (388 hp) at 4000-5000 min -1 770 Nm at 1750 min -1 4.6 s 266 km / h
XD4 R6 2993 cc 285 kW (388 hp) at 4000-5000 min -1 770 Nm at 1750 min -1 4.6 s 268 km / h
XB7 V8 4395 cc 457 kW (621 hp) at 5500-6500 min -1 800 Nm at 2000-5000 min -1 4.2 s 290 km / h

literature

  • Alessandro Rigatto: BMW Alpina - series and racing sports cars since 1963. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-03274-3 .

Web links

Commons : Alpina  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ alpina-automobiles.com: Manufactory
  2. ↑ Dieter Günther: The cultivated strength from the Allgäu. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , March 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ Milestones in the company's history
  4. ^ Project Le Mans: Alpina on GT3 course

Coordinates: 48 ° 1 ′ 51.7 ″  N , 10 ° 43 ′ 48.4 ″  E