Alpina

History

The beginnings of Alpina found its roots in 1962 as the Weber dual carburetor was developed for the new BMW 1500. The company would not be officially founded until a few years later as the Weber dual carburetor came to completion and was certified around 1964 by BMW, receiving praise from the chief of sales, Paul Hahnemann.

Alpina was founded by Burkard Bovensiepen (b. 1936) in 1965 as Burkard Bovensiepen KG in Kaufbeuren, Bavaria in southern Germany. The original name can be traced to Dr. Rudolf Bovensiepen, his father, whose company produced office machinery.

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.

The name Alpina would come to be amplified and recognized on new levels in 1967 with the inception its current and ever-enduring company logo and trademark.

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 on a new set of BMW Alpina automobiles.

Brand distinctions

Since 1983 Alpina has been recognized by the German Federal Ministry of Transport as an automobile manufacturer, thus Alpina-built cars are branded and registered as Alpina instead of BMW, although 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. A thin, pinstriped style outside body decor set in gold or silver is also a trademark of Alpina cars. A metal plate inside also proves the heritage and the serial number of the car.

Compared to cars from BMW's in-house motorsport-rooted subsidiary, BMW M, Alpina's vehicles have more emphasis on luxury, higher torque, and have automatic transmissions instead of manual or semi-automatic transmissions. For instance, regarding the high performance variants of the BMW E60 5-Series, the B5 offers a different take on performance and how to accomplish it. Unlike BMW M's own M5 which has a naturally aspirated, high-revving 5.0L V10, the Alpina B5 uses a supercharged 4.4L V8 which produces similar horsepower and remarkably greater torque at lower rpm.

Current lineup

Alpina B7

The Alpina B7 is one of the two Alpina car offered in the USA, the other one being the Alpina B6. The B7 is produced at the same assembly line in Dingolfing, Germany, along with BMW's own 7-Series.

BMW permitted Alpina to produce a high-performance version of its flagship 7-Series, however they did not want it to be a high-revving, BMW M version (which would have been known as a "BMW M7" under the current nomenclature). It has also been suggested that there was no market for an M7 that would have featured the BMW M's trademark high-rev engine and twin-clutch automated manual transmission, and most customers who desired a performance option in the 7 Series would have gone for the V12-engined BMW 760Li.

Competitors include the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG and Audi S8.

E65 B7

For the E65 7-Series generation, the Alpina B7 was widely credited with being able to hold its own against top performing offerings from Mercedes (including AMG) such as the S600 and S63 AMG, Audi (particularly quattro's Audi S8), the Bentley Flying Spur, and Jaguar XJ Supercharged, while BMW's own top-of-the-line V12 760Li was considered uncompetitive.

The E65 B7 uses a supercharged version of the 4.4-litre V8 found in the BMW 745i as the 750i and its 4.8-litre engine were not around when development began. The 760Li's naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 was deemed too heavy to have a sporty offshoot. The 2011 Alpina B7, with its twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, is less expensive and yet faster than its F01 stablemate, the 2010 BMW 760Li powered by a twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The B7's engine, derived from the BMW N63 that is found in the standard BMW lineup, matches the BMW 750i in fuel economy despite increased performance, plus its lighter weight than the 760Li's V12 engine gives the B7 considerably better weight distribution and handling than the 760Li.

BMW of North America, LLC offered 800 Alpina B7s as limited edition models for 2007 and 2008, which all quickly sold out.

F01/F02 B7

The F01 B7 will be offered again for the 2011 model year in the USA, with approximately 500 vehicles (half of the annual production of the B7) with a choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and/or a standard or long wheelbase (the B7, B7 L (long wheelbase), B7 xDrive (all-wheel drive), and B7 L xDrive), otherwise all configurations have the same equipment. Roughly 80 models will be sold in Canada, all of the xDrive variety due to that country's winter weather.

The B7's twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 is assembled by hand at Alpina's facility in Buchloe, Germany, before being shipped to BMW for installation, and the assembled vehicle is then sent back to Alpina for finishing touches. It is based upon BMW's twin-turbo V8 but produces considerable more torque and horsepower, albeit with some turbo lag due to the larger turbos, yet more measured throttle mapping makes the B7 smoother than a stock BMW 750i.

While BMW uses run-flat tires for its 7 Series, the B7 comes with non-reinforced tires with a tire repair kit for emergencies. By using conventional, softer-sidewalled tires, compared to the reinforced sidewalls of run-flats, Alpina engineers were able to stiffen the B7's suspension for better handling and still improve the ride quality over that of a stock BMW 750i.

For the 2013 model year, the Alpina B7 received similar updates to the rest of the 7 Series lineup, including an 8-speed automatic transmission, while its engine adds Valvetronic and now produces 540 hp and 538 pound-feet of torque, which is good for a 0 to 100 km time of just 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 300 km/h. Compared to BMW M's version of the 4.4L twin-turbo engine (such as found in the F10 BMW M5), Alpina's engine has 20 hp less but more maximum torque which is also available at a lower rpm.

The 2013 Alpina B7 handles better than BMW's own 760Li V12.

Alpina C1

The Alpina C1 was based on the E30 323i and was among their most popular early models, providing superior performance over the unmodified car. The C1 2.3 made 125 kW / 170 hp and 225 Nm of torque. 0–100 km/h was achieved in 7.8s. Top speed was 213 km/h. The extra power is due to special Mahle pistons, and a special exhaust and igntion system. It also received dry-sump lubrication and a short-ratio five-speed gearbox. Only 35 C1 cars were built, making it one of the rarest Alpina cars. As BMW released the 325i, Alpina responded with the C2 2.5 and later the 2.7 models, providing between 190-210 horsepower. The brakes and suspension were also upgraded.

The C1 2.5 and early C2 / 2.6* models used the M20B23 (2,3L) engine, but bore and stroke were increased to achieve a capacity of 2552 cm3. Alpina reworked the head which was ported and polished, installed harder valve springs and a hotter cam. The intake manifold was also reworked, and Alpina used a larger throttle body. Max power was 136 kW / 185 bhp, with 246 Nm of torque. Alpina claimed 0–100 km/h acceleration in 7.1 seconds. Top speed was 220 km/h. Only 74 cars were built.

Alpina C2

An interesting variant of the M20 engine was Alpina's C2. The first C2 combined the wider bore of the M20B25 with the slightly larger 76.8 mm (3.02 in) crankshaft of an M20B23, to create a torquier engine of 2552 cc. This version put out 185 PS (136 kW) and 265 N·m (195 lb·ft), 74 units were built between 1985 and November 1986. After the C2 2.7 appeared in the spring of 1986, the 2.5 was slightly upgraded and gained five horsepower. However, to indicate its "little brother" position in the lineup, the name was changed to C1 2.5. When the September 1987 facelift model of the E30 was introduced, the 2.5 litre C1 was discontinued, although a few cars were finished into 1988.

The larger yet 2.7 litre unit was introduced in February 1986 in uncatalyzed C2/1 form. This engine, sharing the dimensions of the M20B27, develops a whopping 210 PS (154 kW) at 5800 rpm and shows what the engine was really capable of. Originally installed in the E30-based Alpina C2 2.7, with available four-wheel drive, the catalyzed C2/2 appeared in the interim C2 2.7 Kat in March 1987. This was then renamed "B3 2.7" five months later, by which time the "C2" labelled cars were discontinued. The B3 2.7 continued to be available until June 1992, in all body variants and drivetrain configurations (excepting automatics) in which the E30 was offered. Around 1988, 26 "B6"-labelled C2-engined E30s were built for export to Japan, where the B6 3.5 had a hard time passing emissions regulations.

Later C2 2.5 models (C2 /3 2.5) were based on the 325i. Alpina used the M20B25 engine with very few modifications compared to earlier models. Again the cylinder head was decked to increase compression ratio, and it was ported and polished. The ECU was also remapped. Max power is 140 Kw / 190 bhp, with 235 Nm of torque. 0–100 km/h was achieved in 7.2 seconds. Top speed is 220 km/h. Only 50 cars were built.

The C2 /1 2.7 used the 325e eta model engine block, crank and rods, but with custom flat head pistons provided by MAHLE. Originally Alpina modified the "200" casting number cylinder head specific to the 325e with bigger intake valves, larger air intake ports, and redesigned the valve chamber for better flow. A more aggressive camshaft was used, with higher lift and duration, and harder valve springs were installed. Compression ratio was increased to 10.2:1. The C2/1 2.7 made 210 bhp with 267 Nm of torque and was the fastest E30 available at the time (227 km/h top speed). 108 cars were built.

Later C2 /2 2.7 (and early 1987 B3 2.7) used the M20B25 block with ETA (325e) crank and rods. The intake manifold was also redesigned for better flow. The head was decked to improve compression ratio ( 10.1:1 for models with the 731 head, 9.6:1 for later "885" head models with catalytic converter ) and matched with custom pistons - flat MAHLE pistons for engines equipped with the 731 head, and domed KS pistons for engines equipped with the 885 head. Larger throttle bodies were installed (the C2/2 version uses the same throttle body as the M20B25 325i). A total of 309 cars were built between 1986 and 1987. The C2/2 2.7 makes 204 bhp and 266 Nm of torque. Top speed is 224 km/h and 0-100 kp/h is achieved in 7.5 seconds.

The B3 2.7 is similar to late C2/2 2.7 cars. It uses the M20B25 block with M20B27 crank and custom rods. The 885 head is exclusively used for the B3 model. The head is decked ~ 1mm to improve CR to 9.6:1 and matched with custom domed KS or MAHLE pistons. Intake and cylinder head are ported and polished. Custom ECU mapping is used. Engine management is Bosch Motronic 1.3. The B3 2.7 is equipped with a catalytic converter to conform to emission standard of the time. performance numbers are similar to the later C2/2 2.7 cars. 254 cars were built from 1987 to 1992.

Alpina B6

The B6 2.8 is based on the 323i, but uses the same B6/2 engine used in the B6 E21. The car makes 210 bhp and 270 Nm of torque. Top speed is 230 km/h. 0-100 is achieved in 7.2 seconds. 259 cars were made from 1983 to 1986.

The Alpina B6 3.5 is based on the 325i chassis, but uses the M30 "big six" 3430 cm3 engine, upgraded to 261 bhp (192 Kw) and a whopping 346 Nm of torque. 0–100 km/h is achieved in 6.4 seconds. The engine uses custom MAHLE pistons and rods. The cylinder head was ported and polished, and a hotter cam was used. Top speed is 250 km/h. Suspension and brakes were upgraded. Bigger ventilated disks and progressive springs were installed at the front. Only 210 cars were made from 1986 to 1990.

The Alpina B6 3.5 S uses the M3 chassis. The 3.5s like the 3.5 uses the B10/2 M30 "big six" which makes 261 bhp and 346 Nm of torque. Displacement is 3430 cm3. 0–100 km/h is achieved in 6.4 seconds. Top speed is 250 km/h. The gearbox used is the famous Getrag 260/6 sport known as the "Dogleg Gearbox" with reversed 1st and 2nd gears. Only 62 cars were made from 1987 to 1990.

In 1993 one BMW M3 Cabrio was converted to a B6 3.5 S by Alpina by a special order of a customer. The BMW serial number was changed to an Alpina serial number making this car the rarest of all Alpina's : the Alpina B6 3.5 Cabrio

Alpina B3 GT3

To celebrate Alpina's victory in the 2011 ADAC GT Masters with an Alpina B6 GT3, Alpina decided to produce a limited run of the Alpina B3 S Bi-Turbo, called the Alpina B3 GT3. Modifications on the exhaust system (especially developed in collaboration with Akrapovic) increased power to 300 kW (408 PS; 402 bhp). The brake system and suspension were upgraded and designed for intensive usage.

But the most noticeable was the exterior: The B3 GT3 sports a carbon fibre rear wing, a special front splitter and 19" lightweight Alpina GT3 Classic wheels, painted in Himalaya Grey. The B3 GT3 was available in Black Sapphire metallic, Mineral White metallic, Alpina Blue metallic or with a full body vinyl wrap in the official GT3 design. The car could be ordered with an extra set of lightweight wheels (also 19" Alpina GT3 Classic, but equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup+ tires) for use on the track.

Only 99 units were produced.

B10 BiTurbo

The B10 BiTurbo is a high performance version of the BMW 5 Series E34. Beginning production in 1989, the B10 BiTurbo was based on the 535i and received several upgrades by Alpina, being the fastest production sedan in the world at the time of its introduction. Production ended in 1994 with 507 examples produced. The B10 Biturbo became the best-selling single model in Alpina history up until that point.