Restored 1970 BMW ALPINA 2002ti Returns to the Track at 2014 Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion

On the heels of the launch of the BMW ALPINA 2015 B6 xDrive Gran Coupe to the US market, one of ALPINA’s early cars will compete in the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – August 5, 2014 …Today BMW announced that it will run its newly restored 1970 BMW ALPINA 2002ti in the annual Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca next week. The car will be raced by Road & Track Executive Editor and vintage racer Sam Smith.

This racing 2002ti was built by German BMW constructor/tuner/race team ALPINA GmbH in 1970 and features ALPINA’s signature Weber side draft carburetor setup, engine performance upgrades, flared fenders and three piece ALPINA alloy wheels. In late 1970, the car was sold to Vasek Polak BMW of Hermosa Beach, California. The car was then campaigned by Competition of Torrance in SCCA events for the 1971 and 1972 seasons and then retired. 

The car spent the next 24 years in storage before being purchased by BMW of North America, completely reconditioned and painted in non-period-correct BMW Motorsport livery and entered for the BMW celebration at the 1996 Monterey Historic Races.  Nick Craw, John Morton, Danica Patrick, Boris Said, Bill Auberlen and Tommy Milner have all vintage raced the car since its rebirth. 

In early 2014, the car was restored to its original 1970 BMW ALPINA Team Orange with Semi-Gloss Black hood and rear deck livery with the help of ALPINA. Even the steering wheel was returned to ALPINA in order for ALPINA’s leather specialists to restore the hand stitched leather on the original wheel.

BMW and ALPINA, both at home in the German state of Bavaria, have a long history of working together to produce special BMW automobiles. Burkard Bovensiepen, son of the founder of ALPINA Business Machines and an enthusastic racing driver/engineer, began his automotive career path in 1961 by developing a dual-carburetor setup for the just-introduced BMW 1500 sedan – the precusor to the venerable 2002 models. It was a predictive beginning: to take an already fine-performing BMW (which also just happened to be a practical sedan) and making it perform even better. ALPINA soon became a name famous in Europe and the wider world for putting a particular performance accent on BMWs and winning races.

By 1964, BMW had officially recognized ALPINA’s contribution to BMW performance. Not long thereafter, Burkard Bovensiepen founded the ALPINA company – ALPINA Burkard Bovensiepen KG – that continues today, creating special versions of BMW automobiles that offer a particular brand of performance for discriminating auto enthusiasts. Yet outside the circle of dedicated BMW enthusiasts, ALPINA has kept a low profile in North America. In addition to racing versions of BMWs, ALPINA has developed a progression of BMW-based cars based on 3, 5, 6, 8, Z4 and Z8 models and offered them on a limited-production basis. ALPINA is located in the small Bavarian city of Buchloe, some 50 miles southwest of Munich, BMW’s headquarters city and the capital of Bavaria.

In recent models, ALPINA has concentrated on delivering very high levels of performance with moderate rpm ranges and automatic transmission. ALPINA currently offers the B7  model line  based on the BMW 7 Series and newly introduced BMW ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe in the US market.

The BMW ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe delivers the exceptional 0 to 60 mph acceleration of only  3.7 seconds. The 540-horsepower and 540 lb-ft output of the ALPINA V8 Bi-Turbo engine is channeled through an 8 speed Sport Automatic Transmission with ALPINA Switch-Tronic and BMW’s xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive system.  

A carefully tuned high performance stainless steel ALPINA exhaust system with twin elliptical tailpipes resonates with a deep but unobtrusive exhaust note.

BMW Adaptive Drive with Active Roll Stabilization technology works together with the fully variable torque distribution of the xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive system.  The seamless integration of chassis and powertrain enables agile and neutral driving dynamics that meet the highest demands for sportiness, comfort and all-weather traction.

With a top speed of 198 MPH, the BMW Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe impresses not only through its effortless and confident super-high performance, but also with its finely balanced handling and smooth refinement.

The BMW ALPINA 2002ti is scheduled to race at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion from Thursday August 14th through Sunday August 17th.

1970 BMW ALPINA 2002ti Specifications:

General Data            

Weight                                                                                   approx. 1990 lbs.

Length x width                                                                      166.5 x 64.0 in.

Wheelbase                                                                             98.4 in.

Engine

Engine Type SOHC, 8-valve 4-cylinder, twin side-draft 2-barrel Weber carburators

Displacement                                                                 1990 cc

Bore x stroke                                                                89 mm x 80 mm

Power output                                                               approx. 220 hp @ 8000 rpm

Drivetrain

Drive system                                                             Front engine/rear-wheel drive

Transmission                                                             5-speed manual

Chassis

Front suspension                                           McPherson strut with

                                                                       coil springs, anti-roll bar

Rear suspension                                            Semi-trailing arms with

                                                                       coil springs, anti-roll bar

Steering type                            Worm & Roller

Brake system                           4-wheel ventilated discs

Wheels/Tires                           ALPINA 3-piece Mg/Al wheels/Hoosier 205/60 R 13

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 120 MINI passenger car dealers, and 35 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:  www.bmwgroupna.com

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Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com. 

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