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alpinafans

Heritage

Six decades of refined performance

From a carburettor kit built beside typewriters to a recognised manufacturer of some of the fastest saloons on earth.

  1. 1962 – 1969

    Typewriters and twin carburettors

    • 1962

      Burkard Bovensiepen develops a twin Weber carburettor kit for the BMW 1500 in a corner of his family's typewriter business in Kaufbeuren.

    • 1964

      BMW honours its factory warranty on cars fitted with the ALPINA conversion — a remarkable endorsement for a small independent.

    • 1965

      ALPINA Burkard Bovensiepen KG is founded on 1 January with a handful of employees. The name comes from the typewriter brand his father built.

  2. 1970 – 1977

    Racing and the move to Buchloe

    • 1970

      The company relocates to larger premises in Buchloe, Bavaria — its home ever since — and wins the Spa 24 Hours with a BMW 2800 CS.

    • 1973

      ALPINA-prepared BMW 3.0 CSLs dominate the European Touring Car Championship, cementing the brand's engineering reputation.

    • 1975

      The first complete ALPINA cars based on the E21 3 Series appear, marking the shift from tuning parts to finished automobiles.

  3. 1978 – 1988

    Turbo legends

    • 1978

      The hand-built B7 Turbo arrives on the E12 5 Series, briefly the fastest four-door saloon in the world. The B7 Turbo Coupé follows on the E24.

    • 1983

      Germany's Federal Ministry of Transport recognises ALPINA as an automobile manufacturer in its own right — cars now carry ALPINA VINs.

    • 1985

      The B6 3.5 squeezes a 3.5-litre six into the compact E30, creating one of the most coveted ALPINAs of the decade.

  4. 1989 – 1999

    Bi-Turbo and the V12s

    • 1989

      The E34 B10 Bi-Turbo debuts with 360 PS, outpacing the contemporary M5 and becoming the definitive ALPINA for many enthusiasts.

    • 1992

      The E31 B12 5.7 Coupé brings a 416 PS V12 to the 8 Series in tiny numbers.

    • 1993

      Switch-Tronic introduces steering-wheel gear selection to automatic ALPINAs, defining the brand's effortless two-pedal character.

  5. 2000 – 2015

    Diesel, superchargers and grand touring

    • 2000

      The D10 Bi-Turbo becomes ALPINA's first diesel, proving a diesel could be refined, rapid and engaging.

    • 2005

      A supercharged 500 PS V8 powers the E60 B5 and the B7, a torque-rich alternative to BMW M's high-revving approach.

    • 2010

      Twin-turbo V8s arrive in the B5, B6 and B7 Bi-Turbo, pairing limousine refinement with 300 km/h capability.

  6. 2016 – 2026

    The final independent era

    • 2017

      The G30/G31 B5 Bi-Turbo delivers 608 PS, and the Touring becomes one of the fastest estate cars ever made.

    • 2022

      BMW Group announces it will acquire the ALPINA brand, with Buchloe continuing production under the existing arrangement until the transition.

    • 2025

      The final Buchloe-developed models — B3, B4 GT, B8 and XB7 — mark the close of six decades of independent ALPINA engineering.

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