ALPINA announced today that it will return to the racing world with the BMW Alpina B6 GT3 race car in the FIA GT3 European Championship. The BMW Alpina B6 GT3 race car will be based on the BMW Alpina B6S that is powered by a supercharged 4.4 liter V8 engine that develops 530hp and 725 Nm of torque. Alpina considers it's the ideal basis for the BMW Alpina B6 GT3 race car to challenge pure-bred sports cars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin.
Alpina Press Release:
ALPINA RETURNS TO RACING
ALPINA have announced their return to international motor sport.
After a 20-year absence from the competitive scene, the manufacturer best known for their development of ultra-high-performance variants of the BMW model range is to field a race car based on the BMW ALPINA B6S in the FIA GT3 European Championship, as well as major endurance events.
Racing with street-based 'dream' cars in GT3 has consistently attracted drivers, spectators and manufacturers alike.
In the hands of F1 and Touring Car drivers such as Niki Lauda, Jacky Ickx, Hans Stuck and Dieter Quester, ALPINA notched up numerous European Touring Car Championships and Nürburgring 24 hour wins, as well as the 24 Hours of Spa in 1970.
"We think the BMW 6 Series - especially with the massive torque of the supercharged 4.4 liter V8 ALPINA engine from the B6S (530hp, 725 Nm) - provides the ideal basis to challenge pure-bred sports cars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin within the framework of GT3 regulations," said Andreas Bovensiepen, ALPINA proprietor.
With his own history in racing, Bovensiepen initiated and oversees the project. He sees GT3 with its line-up of 10 manufacturers, multiple national championships and starting grids of 45 cars in the European Championship as "the creme de la creme of its kind". As in the 1970s, ALPINA will also sell race cars to individual campaigners, collectors and race teams.
ALPINA's new participation in the sport is part of a strategy of consistent growth and brand development. In particular, GT3 provides the opportunity to raise awareness in new markets cost
effectively and without compromising the exclusivity of the marque.
New £10M engineering facility
Coinciding with entry into GT3 racing, a new £10million engineering center, with industry-leading engineering equipment and capabilities, will soon be completed. This will allow ALPINA to make its services available to third parties, and to bring its products to market more quickly.
In a unique and close engineering partnership with BMW, ALPINA has been manufacturing racing and road-going BMW ALPINA automobiles for over 40 years.
To find out more and to gain a first impression of the BMW ALPINA B6 GT3, visit www.alpina-automobile.com/ to reach the Press pages and the first photograph of the new car.
ALPINA GB (www.alpinabmw.co.uk), part of the Sytner Group, has been the sole importer for ALPINA in the UK since 1983. ALPINA has worked closely with BMW AG since 1961, with shared warranty coverage since 1964. ALPINA GmbH was established in 1965 for the purpose of building BMW ALPINA automobiles, with registration as an automobile manufacturer to ISO standards in 1983.
