Abarth, Alpina and AMG: the three tuners who made the leap, becoming real car manufacturers

What distinguishes a preparer from a manufacturer?

The tuner – or computer, or tuner – takes an already existing model from a manufacturer and customizes it according to his own philosophy or that of the customer, using mechanical and electronic components, bodywork and in some cases even the interior of the car.

The manufacturer – or car manufacturer – invests in research and development, designs, approves and certifies its own models. In this panorama, tuners remain confined to the world of processing. Many elaborate, but few innovate; only three dared to become real builders. Let’s talk about Abarth, Alpina and AMG.

Abarth – The Italian genius

Founded in 1949 by Karl (later Italianized as Carlo) Abarth in Turin, it was born as a small team that offers mufflers and sports kits to cars from manufacturers such as FIAT, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Autobianchi, SIMCA and Porsche. The solutions used by Abarth are so effective that they are very popular in a very short time both among passionate drivers and in the world of racing. And it’s racing that Abarth forges its legend, winning through the years:

• 3 World Rally Championships (with FIAT);
• 2 European Rally Championships;
• Over 10,000 touring and hillclimbing races;
• 133 international speed and endurance records;
• 3 modern ERC2 titles (2018-2020).

Abarth didn’t just elaborate, she taught herself to run.

Today it boasts production, research, development and a network of dedicated dealerships, and is the only Italian company born as a computer and which has become an autonomous automotive brand recognized internationally, maintaining full national identity and industrial independence in Italy.

Alpina – Bavarian precision

In 1961, in Buchloe, an economics student named Burkard Bovensiepen developed a Weber twin carburetor kit for the BMW 1500 “Neue Class”. The success was such that BMW itself officially approved the kit, recognizing its validity under warranty – a very rare case, especially for the time. Since then, a close collaboration with the Bavarian company began for the young man, culminating in 1965 with the foundation of Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen KG as an independent brand. In 1968, Alpina made its debut in the world of competitions, winning two titles in the 1970 and 1973 Touring Car Championships, the 24 Hours of Spa in 1970 and again a European title in the Touring Car category in 1977. He then abandoned the world of racing to start the internal production of cars based on BMWs in 1978. But it was in 1983 that the real leap occurred, when the German government recognized Alpina no longer as a tuner, but as a car manufacturer.

In 2022, it was integrated into BMW, but continues to operate as a separate brand.

AMG – From Großaspach garage to official Mercedes-Benz division

AMG Motorenbau und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH was founded in 1967 in Großaspach by Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, two Mercedes-Benz engineers, as a private car processing company. He began to get noticed in 1971, winning in his category at the 24 Hours of Spa with an AMG Mercedes 300 SEL 6.9. Some time later he moved to Affalterbach, making himself known more and more. In 1988 AMG participated in the DTM Championship as a partner of Mercedes-Benz, immediately becoming the most successful team – in the following years it won two more DTM Championships. This event will mark the turning point for AMG, which in 1990 signed a collaboration contract with Mercedes-Benz, which will last until the present day.

Today AMG is a recognized manufacturer in all respects, boasts engines of its own design (such as the M178 twin-turbo V8), and is the symbol of the combination of craftsmanship and series engineering.

Why didn’t the others make it?

To date there are many big names in the world of processing. To name a few: Brabus, ABT, Mansory, Romeo Ferraris. But why didn’t they achieve automaker status? The reasons are disparate.

First of all, creating a car that is homologated, certified and sold as its own brand requires investments of tens of millions of euros in engineering, crash tests, emissions, safety, distribution and warranty, and many preparers either cannot or do not want to take on such a high economic risk.

For other tuners, however, becoming a producer would mean moving from authorial artisans to industrialists, and this would reduce their creative flexibility. For Mansory for example, which aims for exclusivity and extreme luxury, mass-producing would be against its identity.

Still others, such as ABT, which works on Audi and Volkswagen platforms, do not have their own infrastructure for series engines, chassis and bodies. Furthermore, Audi already has its official sports department: Audi Sport / RS. Including ABT would mean competing and “cannibalism” internally.

Therefore, those who take their car to a tuner will certainly have greater exclusivity in terms of aesthetics and performance, but lower perceived reliability and technical credibility. This is because despite doing excellent work, it breaks the original balance studied and consolidated by the manufacturer over tens of years and millions of euros in research and development, and in addition, lacking official certifications and complete approval tests, it is never guaranteed its correct and total functioning.

Furthermore, processing does not necessarily mean “improving”, because each modification adds something but sacrifices another. More power in the straight means less control, agility and handling when cornering due to tires having to handle too much torque and the increase in masses due to the installation of larger components, resulting in a shift in the weight distribution between the axles; even removing a rear seat can cause damage in this sense if it is not done with full knowledge of the facts. Another example is the addition of spoilers, miniskirts and diffusers, or even replacing entire body parts: it’s a scene, yes, but if everything hasn’t been tested in the wind tunnel –which only manufacturers do – it even goes to worsen the aerodynamic drag coefficient, with a consequent reduction in top speed.

In the context of processing it is not correct to talk about “improvements”, but about customization, because the preparer does not really go to improve the vehicle, but, as we said at the beginning of this article, to customize it according to his own philosophy and experience or according to the tastes of the customer. As we have seen, only a very few have really managed to improve the cars in every respect enough to make them their own, and probably no one else will ever succeed.

Where the builder innovates, the preparer improvises.

Gabriele Davelli