If you know me at all or even remotely follow these posts, you’ll know we’re here for two reasons. The lesser here, amazingly, is that this is an Alpina. Now, modern Alpinas may have lost some of the unique character that the company infused into them in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, but they’re still very special and very rare cars to see. But let’s get to the real reason this one caught my eye…and will catch the eye of anyone, really. This particular 2019 B7 xDrive was run through BMW’s Individual department. Now, the color isn’t disclosed in the ad, but I’m pretty sure this is one of my favorites – Java Green Metallic.
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Having just looked at a B3 3.0, let’s look at its predecessor – sorta. What do I mean? Well, indeed, the Alpina B6 2.8/2 was the first E36 modified by Alpina, but it was replaced in 1993 by the B3 3.0 model. The B6 2.8/2 was also only available in sedan and coupe form. So what’s going on here, with this very obviously long-roof 1997? Japan.
That’s right, although the B3 model had replaced it, in 1996 the B6 2.8 was resurrected for the Japanese market. Now only available in Touring form, the car was reportedly a reaction to BMW’s decision not to bring the 328i Touring to the market. Unlike the contemporary cars, these were badged as “Limited Edition” and mostly came with the standard automatic instead of Alpina’s SwitchTronic gearbox, and they were only made in Arctic Silver, Bright Red, and Boston Green as we see here. Some 136 are claimed to have been produced, and this one is number 40:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 Alpina B6 2.8 Touring on eBay
3 CommentsWant a 3-Series convertible that’s a bit more…let’s say “old school”, while still standing apart from the crowd? Look no further than the wizards from Alpina. The successor of the slightly less powerful B6 model, the B3 kept many of the same improvements to the E36 chassis – unique stabilizers, springs and shocks, and larger brakes. Inside the B3 received the normal Alpina-branded shift knob, steering wheel, and seats, and in their typical style, Alpina also provided unique front and rear spoilers along with their own badging. Of course, the package was rounded out by some of the best-looking wheels ever fitted to a BMW. While the B3 was down on power to the European M3 3.2, it wasn’t really much slower – again in typical Alpina fashion, the car was tuned to make the most of the power that was available rather than just provide a shockingly high number. A reported 1,000 of these ultra-exclusive B3s were produced, with about 2/3rds of those being the earlier 3.0 model, and in four different configurations – Coupe, Cabriolet, Touring, and Sedan. 119 of those were the drop-top version, and today’s car is number 99:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Alpina B3 3.0 Cabriolet on eBay
Comments closedAfter looking at nearly every other generation of 5-Series over the past few weeks, let’s take a look at one of the best – the E34. And if we’re going there, why not look at one of the best E34s made?
Alpina took a normal 535i and made it’s own interpretation of what the M5 could be; instead of a high-revving twin cam S38, you got two turbochargers with enough torque to embarrass those boys from Affalterbach. Alpina achieved this through a full custom build; Mahle pistons, custom oil sprayers to cool the them, stronger connecting rods, sodium-filled valves and bespoke intake and exhaust systems – but then, Alpina’s never been shy about producing it’s own items. While all Alpinas are rare, the B10 BiTurbo was fairly popular; of the 1600-odd E34s Alpina built, a full 507 of them were B10s – impressive considering they were one of the most expensive sedans in the world at the time. Today? Well, they’re still one of the most expensive used BMWs you can buy: