Alpina Founder Burkard Bovensiepen Dead at 87
Burkard Bovensiepen, founder of the legendary BMW tuner Alpina, passed away on October 12, 2023 at the age of 87. He leaves behind a long legacy of success in both the modification and racing of BMW cars.
Bovensiepen was born September 1st, 1936 in Chemnitz, a city in what was to become East Germany, though his family eventually moved to the Bavarian town of Kaufbeuren. His father ran a successful typewriter business under the Alpina name, a reference to the nearby mountains. The younger Bovensiepen was always fascinated by cars, and completed an apprenticeship as a toolmaker before studying mechanical engineering and business administration.
The Alpina Automobiles story starts in 1963, when Bovensiepen developed a new dual-carburetor intake system for the BMW 1500 sedan (a predecessor to the legendary 2002). Bovensiepen left brochures for the system under the wipers of every 1500 he found in the parking lot of that year's Frankfurt Motor Show, and this led to 100 orders. Soon after, BMW discovered Bovensiepen's kit and tested it, giving it a seal of approval. This began a long and fruitful relationship with the Bavarian automaker that allowed Alpina to flourish.
In the Sixties and Seventies, Alpina was one of the most prominent BMW racing outfits, taking touring car championships in 1970, 1973, and 1977. Among many other drivers, Alpina was the one of the first teams to employ a young Niki Lauda.
Nineteen seventy-eight saw Alpina branch out into road cars, launching the first 3 Series with six-cylinder power, the B6 2.8, and turbocharged versions of the 5 and 6 series, the B7 Turbo and B7 Turbo Coupe. Alpina actually became a registered automaker in its own right with Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority in 1983, while continuing to expand its product offerings.
Alpina distinguished itself from other German tuners. "In those days, the other tuners only cared about having the most powerful engine; the rest of the car was not very harmonious," Bovensiepen said in a 2015 interview with Classic Driver. "With Alpina, it was always the complete package, and remains so today. We designed the cars to be used all year round as daily drivers, but to still have the performance of a weekend sports car." Even as BMW M cars emerged and grew in popularity, Alpina carved out its own niche. Lots of power, yes, but more elegant styling and everyday comfort. More GT cars.
It took until 2003 for Alpina to officially arrive in the U.S., with the Z8-based Alpina Roadster V-8. From then on, Alpina offered cars in the U.S. through BMW dealerships, and today, Americans can enjoy the 7 Series-based B7, the 8 Series-based B8, and the X7-based XB7.
Bovensiepen turned over the Alpina car business to his sons, Andreas and Florian, in 2002 to focus his attention on Alpina Wine, one of the largest distributors of fine wine in Germany. The Bovensiepen family sold Alpina to BMW in 2022, with new Alpina vehicles to be built on regular BMW production lines from 2025.
"Burkard Bovensiepen was a visionary, a perfectionist, and a man of clear ideas. When he had an idea in mind, he never tired of refining it, until it matched his vision and expectations to 100 percent," the company said in a statement. "We owe it to his life's work that BMW ALPINA automobiles and the ALPINA brand enjoy a first-class reputation worldwide. His legacy is evident in every car delivered to this day."
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