1987 BMW E30 M3 Alpina Coupe

The BMW ALPINA M3 DTM Group A, based on the first generation (E30) BMW M3, signaled ALPINA's comeback to motorsports after a ten year hiatus. In 1987 this car competed in German, European and World Touring Car events with Andy Bovensiepen being one of the drivers. One year later a two-car team in the hands of Christian Danner and Peter Oberndorfer attacked the DTM championship of 1988.

As the WTCC was scrapped for 1988, ALPINA turned its attention to the domestic DTM championship which was backed by four manufacturers - BMW, Ford, Mercedes and Opel. Facing stiff competition ALPINA, which was one of the smaller teams still was able to score some impressive podium finishes. Christian Danner achieved two 1st place, one 3rd place finish and many top six placings. In the overall results, Peter Oberndorfer scored a 2nd place as his best result and finished 7th in the championship, while Christian Danner came 11th.

ALPINA pioneered the use of catalytic converters in motorsport racing, which became mandatory one year later. The loss in power output was negligible and the cars were significantly more environmentally friendly. The BMW ALPINA M3 DTM Group A has a high revving four-cylinder engine which produced around 315 horsepower at 8000 RPM and 210 lb-ft @ 6750 RPM. With a maximum weight of just 2160 lbs it was very light and was capable of reaching a maximum speed of between 160 mph and 174 mph depending on final drive ratios.