The Unveiling of Alpena: A Unique Automotive Marvel

Alfred, the founder and creator of Alpena, is on hand to share with us the story behind his company's most remarkable achievement. As we begin our conversation, Alfred reveals that this particular model is a BMW-based car, but what makes it truly unique is its engine, which is essentially the basis of a McLaren F1 engine. The car in question produces an impressive amount of heat, and as such, Alpena had to find innovative solutions to address these issues.

The first step taken by Alpena was to install vents on the side of the car, designed to remove heat from the engine. However, this initial attempt did not yield the desired results, as the heat still managed to cause problems with the paint peeling on the hood and other components. In response, Alfred explains that his team had to think outside the box, exploring alternative solutions to mitigate the issue. One of these solutions was to replace the traditional aluminum hood with a carbon fiber-based one, which proved to be an inspired decision.

The use of carbon fiber in this particular model marked a significant milestone, as it was the first production car to incorporate this material. This innovative choice was designed to prevent the paint from overheating and peeling due to the intense heat generated by the engine. However, even with this new development, Alpena faced another challenge: the fuel rails were boiling, resulting in reduced power output and performance issues.

To address this problem, Alfred's team turned their attention to optimizing the air intake system. By redirecting airflow specifically towards cooling the fuel rails, they managed to stabilize the engine's performance and increase its efficiency. This innovative solution was made possible by understanding the unique requirements of the McLaren F1 engine and adapting them to the BMW-based car.

One of the most striking features of this model is the extensive use of gold in the engine bay. While it may seem like a lavish expenditure, Alfred explains that gold possesses exceptional heat-dissipation properties, making it an ideal choice for this application. The gold lining helps to regulate the temperature within the engine, ensuring optimal performance and longevity.

The car's unique design is further enhanced by its Ferrari red paint job, which has been specifically formulated to mimic the color of Ferrari's signature hue. This bold choice not only sets the vehicle apart from other BMW-based cars but also reflects Alpena's commitment to innovation and creativity.

Today, there are only 57 examples of this model in existence worldwide, with a mere 50 still in circulation. The rarity and exclusivity of this car make it a true collector's item, cherished by enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike. As Alfred proudly notes, this achievement is a testament to the ingenuity and expertise of Alpena's team, who have successfully pushed the boundaries of automotive design and engineering.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwell first of all let's start let's start here what what's your name Alfred okay and this is your Alpena yeah okay awesome and uh you want to tell us why it's got that weird looking naad duct in the roof and a hole in the valve well first of all this this engine is the basis of a McLaren F1 engine okay and uh this car um produces this engine produces a lot of heat and one of the things that Alpena had to do is they actually have to figure out how do they deal with this car with a lot of heat and with the paint peeling on the hood and stuff like that so actually the first thing that they did is they put vents on the side you can see these vents this is very unusual Alpena is a very understated company they're not into like doing these kind of wild kind of cars this is this this is all function form and function so these vents were to take out the heat from the from the engine didn't do the job they actually had to then then go to a carbon fiber based Hood just so the heat wouldn't um heat up the paint on the aluminum Hood so this is the first production car with carbon fiber ever made and now we have an acod duct in the middle and that's also very unusual most people think that's going to an airbox but here's an airbox here and here's the airbox over there so that air intake is actually going just to cool the fuel rails cuz the fuel rails were boiling the fuel and basically wasn't getting the power to the engine so this if you know what a McLaren F1 car is it's lined the whole engine bay is lined with gold and that's actually for heat dissipation it's not just because it's gold it's where it's the best heat dissipation kind of uh material and it has huge air intakes to go into the engine bay so that's basically how they dealt with this problem but they came up with a pretty good solution I think that's awesome and it's boarded out to 5.7 yeah it's 5.7 so there's only 57 of these cars made uh and this is the only one in the country and there's probably only about 50 that still exist so this is the only only one in the country and the other unusual thing about this car is that it's painted Ferrari red the actual color is Ferrari rope so that is Ferrari red paint on a BMW based carwell first of all let's start let's start here what what's your name Alfred okay and this is your Alpena yeah okay awesome and uh you want to tell us why it's got that weird looking naad duct in the roof and a hole in the valve well first of all this this engine is the basis of a McLaren F1 engine okay and uh this car um produces this engine produces a lot of heat and one of the things that Alpena had to do is they actually have to figure out how do they deal with this car with a lot of heat and with the paint peeling on the hood and stuff like that so actually the first thing that they did is they put vents on the side you can see these vents this is very unusual Alpena is a very understated company they're not into like doing these kind of wild kind of cars this is this this is all function form and function so these vents were to take out the heat from the from the engine didn't do the job they actually had to then then go to a carbon fiber based Hood just so the heat wouldn't um heat up the paint on the aluminum Hood so this is the first production car with carbon fiber ever made and now we have an acod duct in the middle and that's also very unusual most people think that's going to an airbox but here's an airbox here and here's the airbox over there so that air intake is actually going just to cool the fuel rails cuz the fuel rails were boiling the fuel and basically wasn't getting the power to the engine so this if you know what a McLaren F1 car is it's lined the whole engine bay is lined with gold and that's actually for heat dissipation it's not just because it's gold it's where it's the best heat dissipation kind of uh material and it has huge air intakes to go into the engine bay so that's basically how they dealt with this problem but they came up with a pretty good solution I think that's awesome and it's boarded out to 5.7 yeah it's 5.7 so there's only 57 of these cars made uh and this is the only one in the country and there's probably only about 50 that still exist so this is the only only one in the country and the other unusual thing about this car is that it's painted Ferrari red the actual color is Ferrari rope so that is Ferrari red paint on a BMW based car\n"