Alpina’s CEO on the Past, Present, and Future of Fast BMWs - TST Podcast #799

Andreas Bovensiepen is the CEO of Alpina, the famous company that takes BMWs and turns them into some of the fastest and most exclusive sleepers available. Alpina Automobiles was founded in 1965 by Andreas’ father, Burkard Bovensiepen. That company started out in typewriters before moving into textiles and ultimately, building fast cars. We know which we prefer. We ask about how the company started; about his experience working for BMW before going to Alpina; attempting to put a V12 in a Z8; why putting an automatic in a car was a good idea; why racing is important; the reason for reasoning behind those famous 20-spoke wheels; why he bought an NSX; and what he thinks of BMW’s new grills. Recorded February 10, 2023 It’s time to bring your wallet into the 21st century. Head to and use promo code TIRE for 20% off ALL Groove Life products! Tune in to the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 19th at 2:30 PM Eastern on FOX. Want your question answered? To listen to the episode the day it’s recorded? Want to watch the live stream, get ad-free podcasts, or exclusive podcasts? Join our Patreon: 0:00 Preview 0:34 Sponsors 5:18 Show Contents- Alpina! 6:13 Start 7:25 Start of Alpina 9:50 Niki Lauda came knocking 12:13 Iconic 20-spoke wheel design 13:17 Passion vs Marketing 14:48 BMW Starting M Division 16:15 Flashy designs in a sea of black 17:55 When Andreas started 19:25 Alpina Z8 23:30 Alpina B7 development 24:15 Much more than a tuner company 26:20 Alpina customer vs BMW M customer 27:26 Sponsor- NASCAR 28:32 Turbo V8 Wagons 30:04 Parts made in-house 32:00 Tuner company vs Manufacturer 33:30 Heritage rebuild vehicles in the future 34:18 Attempts that didn’t work 37:16 Nostalgia vs The Next Project 39:55 The next few years with BMW 42:44 Wine! 46:24 Patreon questions 46:46 North American market 48:05 Big new BMW grilles 48:40 Environmental regulations good for tuners 50:35 SUV owners vs sedan owners 51:33 Favorite non-Alpina car 52:07 Inspiration for the deco stripe 53:21 Racecar development company advice 53:55 Influence over design philosophy 55:08 Benchmark other forms of transportation 55:50 Favorite car at cars and coffee 56:45 Classic Alpina service in US 57:30 Flying back to Germany 58:05 See you next week Spotify: Apple Podcasts: Google Music: Web player: #cars #comedy #podcast Tweet at us! Instagram: Click here for the most honest car reviews out there: