Alpina is a car manufacturer that makes high-performance models of BMWs and MINIs. Alpina is considered an automobile company by the German Ministry of transport, and not simply an after-market performance car maker.
Alpina is not just a company that produces high-performance editions of cars, but they are very integrated into the BMW production system. The Alpina B7 is produced at the very same plant where BMW’s 7 series is produced.
Alpina: Lightning fast
Alpina has a history of making high-performance and faster BMWs. The company was created in 1965, and it has since produced extremely fast cars like the BMW ALPINA B5 Bi-Turbo or the BMW Alpina B7. Alpina produces hand-made engines just for BMW cars.
Alpina is also not just an aftermarket high-performance car manufacturer, but it is even integrated with BMW. BMW and Alpina share a plant in Dingolfing, Germany together. Some of the fast Alpina cars are even faster than BMW’s M series. The Alpina-made BMW cars have even participated in several races, and they have also won the European Touring Car Championship in 1970.
History
In 1962, the founder of Alpina, Burkard Bovensiepen, created a Weber dual carburetor. This carburetor was made exclusively for the BMW 1500. The carburetor was liked by the automotive industry, and then by the sales boss of BMW. It paved the way for getting a full factory guarantee from BMW.
Officially, the company was made in 1965, when Burkard Bovensiepen launched the company with only eight employees as Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen KG in Kaufbeuren, Bavaria. The company first made just typewriters and also had a factory, but later Burkard made it into a BMW tuning company and used the same old building that had been used for making typewriters.
Alpina’s job was to further enhance the quality of the BMW engine by tuning carburetors and crankshafts. Alpina-modified BMWs were then used in many car races throughout Germany, and they even won in 1970. After 1988, Alpina started making their own BMW Alpina cars and stopped featuring in car races.
High-performance cars
The cars made by Alpina have been engineered at Alpina, and they have an exceptionally fast engines like the 3.0-liter straight-six bi-turbocharged engine or a 4.4 L V8 bi-turbo engine. The cars have all the premium features of BMW, with additional high-performance features like ALPINA Sport suspension and other Alpina software systems.
The Alpina lineup
Alpina has been producing its own cars since 1988. They have made 3-series, 5-series, and 7-series cars in the past. The first one they ever produced was BMW E21 320 model, and they named it A1/3. They created and fitted their own engines in these vehicles.
The 5-series cars were started with BMW E12 528i and Alpina renamed it the B7 Turbo, which was one of the fastest cars of the time. The current Alpina lineup consists of just 7 cars from BMW’s 3-series, 4-series, 5-series, and 7-series.
- Alpina XD3
- Alpina XD4
- Alpina B3 Bi-Turbo
- Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo
- Alpina B4 Bi-Turbo
- Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo
- Alpina D5 S
- Alpina B6 Gran Coupé
- Alpina B7
From this small lineup, only 2 cars are offered in the USA, which are BMW Alpina B7, and BMW Alpina XB7.
BMW Alpina B7
The BMW Alpina B7 is based on BMW 7 Series (G12) and it is the fifth generation of the car by Alpina. The high-performance executive luxury car was introduced in 2016. The car focuses on high speed due to the high-performance engine made by Alpina. It has a 4.4L BMW N63M30 twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which produces 599 hp.
BMW Alpina XB7
The Alpina XB7 is a crossover SUV, which has an extremely powerful engine of 4.4L V8 Bi-turbo, and it produces a horsepower of 612. The car has all the comfort and luxury interiors of a BMW and the engineering of an Alpina. The XB7 has an all-wheel-drive system with all the latest safety features.
Alpina makes BMW even sportier
The cars made by Alpina are extremely fast and sporty. Their cars even produce up to 600 horsepower. Alpina cars have an excitingly high number of torque, and they are also known for their high torque cars. The acceleration is also fast in these cars, and they can get 0 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. Overall, they are excellent sporty high-performance cars.
FAQ
Is Alpina faster than BMW?
Alpina is a high-performance cars producer of BMWs, and they have cars that can reach 600 horsepower. Their engineering is solely based on producing fast engines and higher torque. Alpina cars are often faster than BMW M cars, and they are even more luxurious. The Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe runs as fast as 0 to 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds.
Do Alpina cars compete in motor racing?
Alpina cars and tuned BMWs have been racing since 1968. Alpina started by just tuning BMW cars with Alpina-engineered carburetor and crankshafts, but they stopped doing that and started featuring their own cars. They pulled out of racing in 1988, when they used to tune BMWs, but made a comeback in 2009.
From 2009, Alpina has feature their own Alpina BMW cars in races. They made a comeback with their fastest BMW ALPINA B6 GT3. They even won the championship in 2011 with the same BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 and drivers Margaritis and Lunardi.
Is BMW Alpina famous in the US?
High-speed sports cars are somewhat famous among enthusiasts. There are only two Alpina cars offered in the US, which are the BMW Alpina B7 and the BMW Alpina XB7. These cars are famous for their extremely high luxury and faster torque than any other car. However, being a high-performance cars manufacturer, they are not so famous among non-sports car enthusiasts.
These types of high-performing cars are often much more expensive than other originally produced cars by companies like BMW. Alpina cars are made for a certain type of person who wants extremely fast cars. In addition to this, these cars are also harder to maintain and also expensive.