18/08/2025
💖 Beautiful B5 Alpina for oil service, gearbox service and an MOT 💥 There is often much confusion on what ALPINA do. Many consider them to be a tuner, which is not the case, they are a car maker in their own right. The confusion for this concerns their relationship with BMW, the sole maker of cars on which ALPINAs are loosely based.
So to clarify, ALPINA starts with a clean sheet just as BMW does and specs the car from there, choosing both BMW parts and non-BMW parts. Take the engine in the B5 as an example. The engine is made up of about 1/3 BMW parts, 1/3 parts from BMW suppliers, and 1/3 parts from ALPINA’s own suppliers that BMW do not use. ALPINA orders the N62B44 block from Steyr, just as BMW do, but to their own spec. The crank is forged, whereas the BMW cranks for the 735i/745is were cast. The pistons are from Mahle, and of course set up for the 9.0:1 nominal compression. There are little things like one of the thermostats. ALPINA couldn’t find anyone who could make it to their spec, so they actually carve it out of a solid block of aluminium, using one of their five-axis Computer-Aided Manfacturing machines. The bell housing for the compressor is also such a piece: conceived, designed and manufactured only at ALPINA.
Once ALPINA complete the construction of the engine in its entirety at its Bulchoe factory, they send it to the relevant BMW factory for installation in the BMW ALPINA. There, the engine meets the transmission, wheels/tyres, suspension, drivetrain, seats, leathers, wood, dash steering wheel, all the bits that ALPINA route from their supplier chain. ALPINA buy assembly from BMW, for those bits they could never do themselves: chassis painted, wiring loom, glass, entertainment systems (Radio(TV/NavSat) and passive safety systems. ALPINA then gets the car back, and installs and adjusts the radial compressor/hoses/mountings, complete the aerodynamics package, road-test and sign off for legal liability (as they are the automaker on the official record), the car is then sent to the relevant importer.
