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Feature Listing: 1981 Alpina B7 Turbo

“If you’re looking at this ad, you know what it is. Yes, this is the real deal.”

It was a simple, straightforward solution – but its effect was profound. By adding a KKK K27 turbocharger to BMW’s M30 inline-6, Alpina made quite a splash and firmly cemented its name in the hallowed halls of the ‘World’s Best Tuners’. The result of that marriage coupled with adjustable boost, an intercooler and special injection was 300 horsepower and 340 lb.ft of torque – in 1978! Even the much lauded and celebrated Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera had less power from more displacement; the 3.3 turbo flat-6 produced 265 horsepower and 291 lb.ft of torque. If the Porsche 911 Turbo was a supercar killer, the B7 Turbo was a 4-door 911 assassin. The Alpina was the real deal, and ever since then they’ve been at the sharp end of the world’s fastest sedans.

Beyond just looks, the Buchloe firm of course added signature deep chin and pronounced trunk spoilers. Large (for the period) 16″ alloy wheels wore 225 section tires in the rear to help transfer that power, while specially specified Bilstein shocks were mated with stiffened and lowered Alpina-spec springs and sway bars. Inside, Sheel seats were outfit with Alpina’s beautiful striping, while extra gauge pods read out critical engine performance measures.

A total of 149 of these sedans were produced, each in a slightly different and unique specification with numbered dash plaques. This example, #209, was specified in Sapphire Blue Metallic with Alpina’s bespoke cloth:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Alpina B7 Turbo on Seattle Craigslist


Year: 1981
Model: B7 Turbo
Engine: 3.0 liter turbocharged inline-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 88,756 mi
Price: $54,000

Alpina E12 B7 #209

If you’re looking at this ad, you know what it is. Yes, this is the real deal.

Imported from Belgium in the 90’s.

142,871 original kilometers (88,756 miles) All gauges metric.

Very good to excellent condition inside and out.

I believe it was repainted sometime in the 90’s, but it’s hard to tell. If it was repainted it was just the exterior, with all windows out.
Sapphire blue metallic (paint and clear coat is in excellent condition)
Bold Alpina period correct blue graphics installed now (vinyl applied over clear coat) Can easily be removed if you so wish.
Body is excellent, with no noticeable dents or scratches.
No rust. I seriously doubt it has ever been driven in the rain, or spent a night out in the elements.
All chrome and polished aluminum is in very good condition.
Original BMW glass in all windows.
Original Scheel front seats (fronts have been recovered using original Alpina fabric)
Rear seats in excelent condition.
Carpet, door panels and headliner in very good original condition.
Factory Bilstein struts and shocks, with Alpina springs.
Larger front brakes.
Factory oil cooler for limited slip diff. Pump driven off the rear axle (no belt installed at present)
Original Pierburg fuel injection system in perfect working order.
Adjustable boost knob.
UUC short shift kit.
Factory aux fuel tank in trunk.
Full tool kit.
Newer tires on Original 16″ staggered Alpina open face wheels.
Non sunroof car
No AC installed from the factory.

Many more photos on request.

I believe there are only two, maybe three E12 B7 in North America.

This car was registered in California at one time, but I cannot guarantee that it can be registered there now. Clear Nevada title.

Car is presently located in Reno Nevada, but I’m from Seattle, and I thought I’d list it here to try and avoid all the “can it be registered in California?” questions. Nevada isn’t exactly a hot bed for vintage BMW collecting.

I’d really just like it to go to a good home, and stay in this country.

If it doesn’t sell here on CL in a reasonable time, I’ll go the usual consignment route.

Awesome car.

This is actually not the first time this example has been across these pages; but then, that’s probably not surprising given the extremely limited number of B7s made, and the even more exclusive club of those that have been imported to the United States. The seller’s number isn’t far off; there are only a documented 5 B7s and 3 later B7S models listed in the Alpina Archives. There, number 209 is depicted in the form we first looked at it back in 2012. Since then the seller has added the blue Alpina decor graphics that work well; without them, the model can just look like a regular 5-series, but adding the war stripes is a perfect period touch. Condition throughout is very good and mostly original outside of a Blaupunkt radio and other minor items.

As the 80s BMWs have dominated market headlines over the past few years, Alpinas have emerged as the cream of the crop. Despite this, they can still be viewed as reasonably priced relative to some other models within the brand. The exclusivity coupled with performance of these period pinnacles make them still extremely attractive despite the nearly 40 years that have passed since their introduction. Even then, they’re still quite quick relative to new cars.

Amazingly, despite the dearth of examples that come up for sale, we have a comparable model I wrote up last year. Asking price for that example, which was comparable in both condition, mileage and configuration, was over $100,000 and it needed to be imported. Similar numbers have been seen on B7 Coupes. The market may very well begin to cool slightly on 80s BMWs, but even if it does it will be the really special and limited production models that will continue to be a sure bet.

-Carter

5 Comments

  1. MrMan
    MrMan May 1, 2017

    Sick!

  2. Esrly8Q
    Esrly8Q May 1, 2017

    That is legendary indeed. Love it! I would be really curious to see what it will trade for, assuming it does change hands.

  3. son of stig
    son of stig May 1, 2017

    didnt one sell for 90000 on bat…this is a deal

  4. Carter
    Carter May 2, 2017

    @son of stig; yes, but that was an E28 with the more powerful, later 3.5 motor and it was 1 of 4 based on a M5 chassis. Still, this car is pretty competitively priced in the Alpina market, especially so among Turbo models.

  5. Eurotrash
    Eurotrash May 5, 2017

    Sold per the ad. I’ll take that to mean it was well priced indeed

Comments are closed.