Alpina

Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG is one of our favorite car companies. They are based in Germany the firm was founded in 1965 by Burkard Bovensiepen and is officially considered a manufacturer (they actually build and sell their own cars, even though they are based on BMW cars). Alpina is an all-BMW shop and has a very close relationship with BMW even having space in the BMW production lines.

ALPINA customers are automobile gourmets, both demanding and knowledgeable at the same time. They therefore greatly value the unique combination of highest performance, luxury, comfort and environmental friendliness.

Registered as a manufacturer with the German Federal Motor Transport Authority since 1983, ALPINA develops automobiles on the basis of selected BMW vehicles. The individual characteristics of these automobiles differ from model to model, but they have one thing in common, namely the core values of the ALPINA philosophy:

Engines rich in torque yet frugal and economic • Easy-to-use controls, for example in the form of SWITCH-TRONIC • Refined suspension and chassis with excellent handling, neutral at the limit, and comfortable for use on long journeys • Striking exterior appearance, defined by classic wheels and functional aerodynamic components • Fine, exclusive craftsmanship, down to the very last detail.

Alpina's roots can be traced back to 1962, when Burkard Bovensiepen developed a Weber dual carburetor for the BMW 1500. This carburetor was well received by the automotive press, as well as BMW's own sales boss Paul G. Hahnemann. In 1964, BMW certified the quality of this Alpina product by awarding BMW vehicles fitted with the Alpina system the full factory guarantee.

Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen KG was established on 1 January 1965 in Kaufbeuren, Bavaria. The company had eight employees.

Although Alpina started by producing typewriters, the original Alpina ceased to exist at the end of the 1960s in their attempt to move into the textile industry. 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. The company worked on carburetors and revised cylinder heads. By 1970, with seventy employees, the original facility changed locations from Kaufbeuren to Buchloe.

In its first years, Alpina established its core competency by tuning carburetors and crankshafts to extract more power from BMW engines, elements that eventually defined the company's logo, which came into being in 1967.

Between 1968 and 1977, Alpina cars did very well in competition. The highlight was in 1970, when the team's cars won the European Touring Car Championship, the German Hillclimb Championship, rally and track racing championships, and the prestigious Spa 24 Hours.

Alpina officially withdrew from racing in 1988 because of capacity limitations and restrictions. Tied to this was the decision to begin production of a new set of BMW Alpina automobiles.