ALPINA - Everything You Need to Know | Up to Speed

is the company that makes some of the fastest, thickest luxury cars to ever come out of Europe, a company so well intertwined with BMW that most people don't even notice the difference, but when this carburetor and bearing badge of the crankshaft rests next to the BMW symbol. The beaver boys, the girls,

know

it means business. This is

everything

you

need

to

know

to get up to

speed

with Alpena. Hi, I'm Jane's Pumphrey. It's an old rumor that humans only use 10% of the brain. That's not true, we use 100% of our brain. 10% of the time and maybe it's because we lack concentration and energy.

I don't know, I'm not a neurodoctor, but I do know that our energy drinks give me energy and if you're human, you

need

energy to do things like this kind of thing I think that's it now, going back to the 50's show, dr . Deformed Rudolph Bovine ran a typewriter company in a small town outside of Munich, he called it Alpena and it was all about Carriger turns and keystrokes if you don't know what a typewriter is Google Murder She Wrote opening credits that is what a typewriter is dr. Boven Sheeping had a son, Burkhard, who he hoped would one day take over the family business, but Birth Collar had other plans.

She was passionate about playing with cars. One of her first cars was a BMW 1500 that she acquired in 1962. The Beemer was a small one. and an affordable computer saloon, but she found it was underpowered. She knew that BMW's factory single carburetor setup didn't cut it for the engine, so she developed a dual Weber carburetor setup that gave the 1500 a 15% boost in spirit that took it to the top. final. up 96 over stock 80 Burkhart knew he was onto something and thought that maybe he wouldn't be the only one interested in getting a motel baby. This guy Burkhart sounds like my brother for other troubles, you know what I'm saying, rude in 1963 Burkhart.

He started putting brochures on the windshields of BMW 1500s and he would see on the street that the brochures said 950 Dortch Marx, you can have 20. This was back in the days when brochures were not immediately thrown away, people actually bought them. Burkhart sometimes read. had gotten enough power from the 1500 to compete with BMW's new 1800, the Flyers worked, they were able to get enough people to upgrade their 1500s, which caught the attention of a BMW sales boss, Paul G Hanuman, you'd think he wouldn't. would have done. He was kindly taken to the son of a typewriter magnate who was tinkering with his beloved car, but he was really impressed not only by his initiative but also by the quality of the work because you have to have both. .

He was so impressed that he had BMW certify Burkhardt's work offering a full factory warranty. cars equipped with the Alpina carburetor system this was the beginning of a long and unique relationship between Alpena and BMW BMW you are my best friend you are my light I promise to always be sincere, always funny and always sneaky Rex's tablescapes The automotive press of the day was. I was skeptical at first, suggesting that the increase in power would lead to a decrease in reliability and longevity, but Burkhart thought that if he could get them to drive the car, it would change my mind.

Well, I don't know Bert Car and I'm quite skeptical. here's the key zboob, give it a first spin whoa Wow, that's a spicy meatball I'm an Italian-American journalist once the press got their hands on the Alpena equipt 1500, skepticism quickly faded. Alpena was the real deal a few years later, in 1965. Burkhart was busy in his father's shed officially founding the Alpena company we know and love. He began experimenting with crankshaft designs, as well as forging, polishing and squeezing more ponies out of BMW's power plants, thus laying the foundation for the Alpena emblem that still survives. Used carburetors and crankshafts nowadays baby, kept adjusting and tuning the end until the late 60's, even entered the European Touring Car Championship in 1968, two years later they would win it all in a 2002 BMW

alpina

with Hans Duke junior in Driving that same year they also won the 24 Hours of Spa Nurburgring, as well as the German Hill Climb Championship and some rallies.

Burkhart put in a lot of effort in the touring car racing series and attracted the best drivers of the day. I'm talking about James. Hunt and Niki Lauda, ​​just to name a couple of them, would win the Touring Series again in '73 and '77 by a small deed. Burkhart began collecting wine from the track towns where he won races, won races, and collected a lot. wine on the road decided to turn it into a business Alpina Wines after their winning season in '77 decided to go out on top and leave the racing scene to focus on their road car efforts until then Alpina had only offered modifications to BMW practically unchanged, but that wasn't good enough for old Burkhardt, you see, he started thinking like crazy, what if instead of using the four-cylinder engine in the Series 3 we put a 6-cylinder?

Gosh, that's a good idea, right? yes, it's a great idea, it's better than my grandmother's lasagna. For him, I am Italian-American, only unlike journalists I am an automotive engineer. Alpina continued to work hand in hand with BMW making their own versions of certain models that were available new at Alpena themselves, BMW, would basically build the skeleton of the car. I know it sounds scary and they would send it straight to Alpena for completion, similar to how the roof worked with Porsche in those early days. Check out our Roof episode to learn more about another highly successful German car company.

Don't do it now, keep watching In 1978, Alpina launched its first full-fledged road car based on the E21 3-series, the B6 2.8. They took a 2.8-liter inline-six engine from the 5-series and stuffed it under the hood of the 3-series using a classic model. meticulous German engineering massaged it good enough for its 200th day its Spurs of the mighty six banger took out the standard

speed

and replaced it with the 5 speed the suspension was upgraded the brakes were upgraded Recaro and momo interior stuff with red gauge needles and a speedometer that goes higher than a normal one, of course because the car goes faster you can tell how much and for the first time the world was lucky enough to set its collective eyes on the unique b6 v multi spoke wheels from Alpina. 60 in 6.9 seconds and lit the very fire of the 1970s BMW community.

Alpena had gone from changing carburetors and crankshafts to putting their greasy German fingers all over the car, not just where the modified headlights were faster than their mothership counterparts, they handled better, stopped better and were much more luxurious and comfortable to drive, they were also quite recognizable with their unique chin spoiler, optional body decals and of course those beautiful Alpena car wheels from the 1920s, which are pretty much the same way you might look at an Alpina today. They also released the b7. turbo and Turbo Coupe Bay based on the Series 5 e 12 and a Series 24 6. I want one so bad.

I want one so bad. Think of something you now want to duplicate, which is not even half of what I want, as the name suggests. them turbo hogging and squeezing out 296 ur Spurs and 341 lb-ft of torque since their birth in 1978 sorry, the b7 Alpana took a Jane 5 series plane and aimed it right between the eyes of the big dogs, those big dogs behind the bull god Lamborghini and the Ferrari and I'll Pina didn't miss the b7 not only was it fast enough to be in the same conversation, it was luxurious enough to intrigue potential exotic buyers, plus they kept improving BMWs for the 70s and even the 80s, gaining ground.

In fact, there was so much traction along the way that in 1983 the German Federal Motor Transport Authority certified Alpena as a real automobile manufacturer. From then on, every car they made would get a unique VIN and be registered as an Alpina and not a BMW, although it's still mostly I mean, yeah, it's a B, it's still a BMW. You can get service at BMW dealerships, but it's definitely not 100% BMW. It is, but more or less it is not. 1987 Alpena decided to compete again in everyone's favorite class. In the German DTM series they introduced their racing version of the b6 3.5 based on an e30 m3 to which they put a 6 cylinder engine and this was long before BMW put sixes in the m3 from the factory, Alpina would basically go to their bandwagon crazy and put this engine in the chassis and if the combination was successful BMW would do the same with the production cars, it's kind of a rare thing, the only race for about a year this time and decided again to focus on the offers from road cars and The focus they made in the 80s and 90s brought us some of the best.

I'll penis based on the best that BMW had to offer. If you don't know what I'm talking about, do some fantasy shopping. I know three, six, seven. Be it tens 11 and 12, the hits just kept coming and the formula was always the same, make it powerful and make it a pleasure to drive and probably make it green or blue with some incredibly sweet stripes, give it an aggressive front lip, put some 20 wheels on it. of spokes and sew the aleni LAV leather together with some of that old thick blue and green thread. Alpena hasn't strayed from the formula since day one, it's simple.

Burkhart says his vision was prompted by a quote from Oscar Wilde. a man of simple tastes I am always satisfied with the best, so Burkhart built the best and the best kept getting better these days. It's the best thing ever. Alpena's quality over quantity mentality serves them well. They can focus on making a small number of vehicles. At the highest level each year they sell around 2,000 cars a year, which is probably one reason why BMW is willing to let Alpena swim and its special sauce is small compared to the car giant and they have no plans to increase those.

Sales numbers. The exclusivity of an Alpena is part of what makes the company so successful and the cars so desirable and their current lineup seems pretty desirable, guys, the upcoming B3 bi-turbo pickup is perhaps one of the sickest pickups, ie , the sickest vehicles ever created. in the G 33 series and makes 462 horsepower and 516 turkish firing that truck at 186 miles per hour, that's basically the m3 truck that BMW won't make in America, we'll probably never get it even if they added it to us , yes If you're more of an SUV person, fear not because Alpena has you covered with a version of the x3, the bit, then there is the big dog of the biggest dogs in production today in terms of power, luxury and exclusivity, the 2020 Alpina b7, but just because this Great Dane is big, I don't think it can't run.

I could run a four to five forty right now in trucks, challenge me in the comments I'll race anyone The b7 has 680 horsepower, 590 pound-feet available that can shoot the country on wheels to 60 in 3.6 seconds, that's fast For a car that weighs almost 5,000 pounds and even more impressive, the B7 takes the crown as the world's fastest. production sedan by reaching a blistering speed of 205 miles per hour, the interior is so luxurious it's like crawling inside a giant baby and it better be because it costs around $170,000, you could sell one of those Princess Diana teddy bears and buy one of these yet.

I have about $30,000 worth of good news left: the b7 is available in the United States. BMW actually buys back from Alpina and sells them directly through their dealer networks, so tell God go to the dealership and put your name on the list or just drool over this stuff for a few hours in front of your computer without shirt, like I like to sing lightning as loud as you are here, get ready. I love you.