We’ve been having some fun with Alpinas recently, and the seller that brought us Carter’s E12 B7 Turbo is back again with a sexy E28 B7 Turbo. The E12 and E28 always look similar, and in grey with gold Alpina stripes these two examples further that notion, though the closed-lug 20-spokes help this 1985 B7 look a bit more modern. It’s No. 46 out of the 236-car run and is in beautiful shape thanks to good care and a repaint a while back. The stripes are still there, however, as well as the monster 300hp M30 turbo. The interior looks clean but 31 years old and used, though much better than the normal E28 wear on the seats. Other than that, from the Alpina-green toolkit to the gold name emblazoned across the front spoiler looks to be spotless and perfect.
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Nate has been on a run of covering some great classic Alpina models, and it’s very easy to see the appeal of the brand. Their tried and true recipe of taking the motor out of a higher-end model and swapping it into the smaller chassis might have seemed a simple task, but the execution of Alpina was always top notch and the results were undeniable. Coupled with upgraded wheels and suspension and full of lovely details, they always managed to feel like a premium product and today that appreciation is shown in high asking prices. In the same vein as the legendary Alpinas, many enthusiasts have tried to take the motor out of M models and fit them to lesser 3-series and 5-series models with varying success. But if done right, the result can be a very tidy looking and appealing package on a more friendly budget:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 BMW 318ti S52 on eBay
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This beautiful E34 Alpina B10 is of the tamer 3.5/1 variety, not the Biturbo monster that Carter posted a few months back, but it still had a healthy 46hp more than the standard 535i. Beyond the breathed-on engine, it comes with about as much style as an E34 can handle, rocking Alpina 20-spokes, pinstriping, seats, and freight-train front spoiler all installed in Beuchloe, Germany. This was just the 9th example made out of a run that reached 572. Personally, I appreciate the omission of the rear spoiler, helping it looks just about perfect inside and out. All factory Alpina cars command a hefty premium over stock examples, but this will get you pretty much all of the Biturbo’s show, just with a bit less go.
Click for details: 1988 Alpina B10 3.5/1 on eBay
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Thanks to a Road & Track tuner feature, AC Schnitzer (along with Ruf, TechArt and HPA) was one of the first tuners to really catch my imagination. Big chunky 5-spokes and wings fore, aft, and midship were plenty to turn middle-school me into a daydreaming Autobahn master. In this day and age and much like the cars they tune or the pop stars we are force-fed, aftermarket design has become a caricature of hyper-stylized aggression. There was a time, however, when bodykits and wheels were subtly aggressive extensions of classic designs. This 325i sedan is exactly that, having received a bodykit, exhaust, wheels, and suspension that make it look more like an appetizing foreign model rather than a crazy tuner cartoon. Originally a Euro model that was imported to Japan and then Florida, it’s covered 43k miles on the road and nearly half that amount in shipping. The automatic is a bummer, but with so few miles and such beautifully restrained modifications it can be forgiven. The exhaust and suspension will help make the drive more exciting (as long as it doesn’t have the sad sound of good exhaust droning across an auto trans’ overly-smooth revs), and the bodykit and wheels will put a smile on any BMW fan’s face. Eventually a manual swap and some engine mods would help it keep up with its appearance, but for now it’s a very cool E30 that won’t break the bank.