Alpina is now officially a part of BMW, but that doesn’t mean that its former owners have plans to get out of the upgraded BMW business. They’re just doing it under a new name. This sleek wagon is called the Bovensiepen 05 GT, and it’s an M5 Touring with performance upgrades and a restyling from the same designer who penned the Ferrari F430, the first modern Mini, and created the McLaren design theme.
An Alpina, By Any Other Name, Is Definitely Pretty Sweet
Bovensiepen 05 GTBovensiepen
When Andreas Bovensiepen ran Alpina, the brand created BMWs with just enough styling changes to let you know you were looking at something special. Under his own name, Bovensiepen is taking that just a little further, this time with the assistance of iconic designer Frank Stephenson.
The changes are still subtle, but they are effective. The new character line running along the lower bodywork is the first detail that jumps out at you, but it is only the beginning. You’ll also find new bumpers at the front and rear along with a new spoiler at the top of the hatch.
Bovensiepen says the new front apron is about improving function, not just style. The company said that it allows for a new and optimized air intake as well as helping with aerodynamic performance. Then there are the upgrades you might never see, including grilles and the lower mesh being laser-cut from stainless steel instead of typical molded plastic.
The company can’t use Alpina’s signature wheel design, but it has come up with something almost as good. The 21-inch wheels have 10 double spokes instead of Alpina’s solo spokes, and while sadly they don’t have the hidden valve stems of older Alpina models, neither do the newest BMW Alpinas.
Related
BMW Finally Reveals Its Plans For Alpina
Three years on from buying Alpina, BMW has finally detailed some of its plans for the storied performance marque.
A titanium exhaust developed with Akrapovič trims more than 15 pounds from the factory system, while also helping add power. New engine management software pushes the M5 Touring’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 and PHEV system to 789 horsepower from BMW’s 717, and torque to 811 pound-feet. It’s enough for a 190-mph top speed and zero to 62-mph sprint in under 3.6 seconds.
Ride comfort is a priority versus the standard M5’s goal of being ready for a track attack at any moment. Bovensiepen has tuned BMW’s adaptive dampers, added its own Eibach springs, and fitted new support bearings and a strut tower brace. The company says that even the back seat passengers will get “the highest level of ride comfort.”
Customization Makes This More Like Bespokensiepen
Bovensiepen 05 GTBovensiepen
Bespoke is a huge part of what Bovensiepen can offer. The company will trim the interior completely in Lavalina leather, which was the upgraded hide that Alpina BMWs offered. It’s top grain and semi-aniline, which makes it soft, durable, and even breathable. Want a full Alcántara trunk? No problem. Your own personalized headrest embossing instead of the Bovensiepen logo? Absolutely. For its upholstery team, “every new challenge is not an exception, but an expression of genuine passion,” the company says.
Bovensiepen is the creation of Andreas Bovensiepen, who was CEO of Alpina before its sale to BMW. That company was started by Burkard Bovensiepen in 1963 when he developed a new intake system for the BMW 1500 sedan. Andreas (and brother Florian) took over from his father in 2002.
Related
The Greatest Cars Ever Made By Alpina
The famed Alpina is not classified as a car tuner… instead it is a car manufacturer in its own right. Here are some of the greatest Alpina cars.
The new company will build up to 100 cars per year at its factory in Buchloe. Pricing starts from 198,900 euro ($321,000), including Germany’s 19% sales tax. That’s 51,700 euros ($60,000) more than a basic BMW M5 Touring.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
The Bovensiepen family didn’t sell Alpina to BMW because it wanted out of the car game, it was sold because tightening regulations forced it. Making small runs of cars got too difficult, especially with electrification.
But the brothers in charge were not ready to walk away from the business entirely, so now they’re using their own name to build cars in even smaller numbers. This, evidently, will solve the issues of larger runs of Alpina vehicles. It must be working, because this is the second model, following last year’s M4-based Bovensiepen Zagato.
