Easter Egg: 1988 Alpina B6 3.5S

While I’m certainly not a particularly religious person, it’s hard not to accept the joy of an Easter egg hunt witnessed through the eyes of a child. Even in these trying times, its some semblance of normality lacking in the rest of our existence. But limiting such an egg hunt to children only seems unfair. And our reader John supplied us with quite the egg find today!

This purple Porsche eater comes from the hallowed halls of Buchloe and the storied company of Alpina. Normally Alpina takes ‘ordinary’ BMWs and transforms them in extraordinary performance machines. But in one case, they took a very special BMW and made it very….specialerer. Such is the case with the B6 3.5S. The 3.5S took all of the important bits of that made the 3.5 very unique and stuck them into an M3 chassis. That meant upgraded brakes, heavy-duty front springs, and the signature Alpina wheels coupled with the 3.5-liter M30 with high compression pistons, a special head and cam, and Alpina exhaust resulting in 254 horsepower. While just 219 B6s were produced, only 62 B6Ss were made. And this one is Daytona Violet!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Alpina B6 3.5S on Classic Auto Restor

Year: 1988
Model: B6 3.5S
VIN: N/A
Engine: 3.5 liter inline-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: Not listed
Location: Vars, France
Price: E. 138,000 (~$151,000 today)

year
1988
M3 E30 Alpina B6 3.5 S

Characteristics

Alpina B6 3.5 S 261 PS (1988- ›1990) Technical Specifications and performance figures
Characteristics Alpina B6 3.5 SF
Front longitudinal engine: 6 cylinders in line 3430 cm³ 12 single-point injection valves
Maximum power: 261 hp (192 kW) at 6000 rpm (Max speed 6500 rpm)
Max Torque: 346 Nm (35.3 mkg) at 4000 rpm (~ 197 hp)
Ratios: 76 hp / L (56 kW / L) – 101 Nm / L
Transmission: Propulsion + self-locking
5-speed manual gearbox
Tires: 225/45/16
Front brakes: Ventilated discs
Rear brakes: Solid discs
Dimensions: 4346 x 1680 x 1424 mm
Wheelbase: 2562 mm – Tracks: AV 1424 mm / AR 1445 mm
Weight advertised: 1270 kg (DIN) 1345 kg (EU)
EU weight in operation: 1395 kg (highest measured)
Weight / Power ratio: 5.3 kg / PS = 138 kW / T = 187 PS / T
Torque / Weight ratio: 248 Nm / T
Normalized mixed consumption: 11.5 L / 100 – sports: 17 L / 100
Tax power: 20 hp
Launching year 1988, 1989, 1990 end of production
Other technical engine information:
Torque reserve ˜ 13%
Specific power ˜ 0.4 kW / cm²
Total bore area ˜ 398.8 cm²
Mean effective pressure ˜ 11.9 bars
Average piston speed ˜ 17.2 m / s
Engine optimization ˜ 69%

Alpina B6 3.5 S 261 PS (1988- ›1990) Technical Specifications and performance figures
Characteristics Alpina B6 3.5 SF
Front longitudinal engine: 6 cylinders in line 3430 cm³ 12 single-point injection valves
Maximum power: 261 hp (192 kW) at 6000 rpm (Max speed 6500 rpm)
Max Torque: 346 Nm (35.3 mkg) at 4000 rpm (~ 197 hp)
Ratios: 76 hp / L (56 kW / L) – 101 Nm / L
Transmission: Propulsion + self-locking
5-speed manual gearbox
Tires: 225/45/16
Front brakes: Ventilated discs
Rear brakes: Solid discs
Dimensions: 4346 x 1680 x 1424 mm
Wheelbase: 2562 mm – Tracks: AV 1424 mm / AR 1445 mm
Weight advertised: 1270 kg (DIN) 1345 kg (EU)
EU weight in operation: 1395 kg (highest measured)
Weight / Power ratio: 5.3 kg / PS = 138 kW / T = 187 PS / T
Torque / Weight ratio: 248 Nm / T
Normalized mixed consumption: 11.5 L / 100 – sports: 17 L / 100
Tax power: 20 hp
Launching year 1988, 1989, 1990 end of production
Other technical engine information:
Torque reserve ˜ 13%
Specific power ˜ 0.4 kW / cm²
Total bore area ˜ 398.8 cm²
Mean effective pressure ˜ 11.9 bars
Average piston speed ˜ 17.2 m / s
Engine optimization ˜ 69%

So is it real? It certainly appears to have the correct characteristics, but the VIN isn’t listed and I can’t see the plaque up close. Still, they claim it’s number 14 in the ad. Sure enoughNumber 14 appears in the archives. Great! And it’s Daytona Violet in the pictures! Double great! But then there IS a problem from a collector standpoint; the car was originally Zinnoberrot, not Daytona – which would make sense since I don’t think the color was around in ’88. So was it crashed? Repainted for personal preference? Who knows. The wheels also don’t appear to be original to the car as they were changed in the photo, but as long as they’re real Alpina wheels I’m not sure that matters a lot. Other details? It’s not in perfect condition, no mileage is listed, and no mechanical health displayed. It also looks lower than stock. But if you’re serious, you’d be doing a PPI anyway, and let’s be honest, it’s hanging out in the Alps, so you’re making a huge commitment to get there.

And it’ll cost you more than the plane journey. $151,000 is a lot of coin, without doubt. Where does it fall in the range of classic BMWs? Amazingly, not too badly. As we’ve covered recently, asks on pristine E31 850CSis and M3 Lightweights are in the stratosphere as well. Would I rather have this car? Probably, even if it isn’t perfect.

Thanks to our reader John for the spot, and Happy Easter, Passover, Ramadan, Rama Navami, or just car hunting to you all! Thanks for following

-Carter