ALPINA: THE STORY SO FAR

FROM TYPEWRITERS TO CARS AND WINE , IT’S BEEN A WINDING ROAD

While still an engineering student in 1962, Burkard Bovensiepen (pictured) makes a Weber dual-carb conversion for the BMW 1500; it’s so good it gets BMW’s blessing. In 1965, Alpina is established as a BMW tuner in a back room of the family typewriter business in

Kau euren, Bavaria. Alpina’s first foray into racing, in 1968, goes well. By 1970 it’s scooped wins in the European Touring Car Championship, Spa 24 Hours and German hillclimb championship; drivers include James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Jacky Ickx…

In 1970, now with a sta of 70, Alpina has outgrown its base and moves 12 miles up the road to Buchloe, where – in a much-expanded site – it still is.

Bovensiepen founds a wineimporting business in 1979 to run alongside the car operation. It’s still thriving.

Alpina becomes an o cial car manufacturer – not just a tuner – in the eyes of German o cialdom in 1983; it doesn’t get more o cial than that. Two years

later, Sytner becomes Alpina’s sole UK importer. The founders are every bit as charismatic as the Bovensiepen clan – Frank Sytner a BTCC racer, brother Alan owner of Liverpool’s The Beatles-nurturing Cavern Club.

A late-’80s burst of track activity finds M3-based Alpinas in German touring car racing, with Andreas Bovensiepen among the drivers. The last (probably forever) motorsport push, starting in 2009, involves the B6 (pictured), based on the 6-series, absolutely beasting the GT3 opposition.

A new admin and production building is added to the Buchloe site in 1990, with the head count 120. A huge new building for R&D is added in 2008.

Inevitably, an Alpina SUV finally happens, 2013’s XD3. And it’s excellent. In 2021, Alpina enters yet another new niche with the B8, based on the 8-series Gran Coupe. Chances that it will be pretty good: high.