What Alpina did next: How Bovensiepen will keep building ultimate BMWs

Andreas Bovensiepen sweeps into a deserted canteen at the Salzburgring, six minutes late for our interview. I’d planned to hit him with some pithy enquiry as to the emotional toll of flogging the company his father Burkard founded, but he triggers a vibe-shift.

He reports, with some relish, that the Bovensiepen Zagato he’s just leapt out of nailed 265kph on the back straight. This makes it as quick as the slick-shod B6 GT3 they used to hammer here at Alpina events, he continues almost to himself, smiling as he pulls out a chair.