School me in Alpina...?

[v8voodoo]

Hi all,

Just sifting through various cars as I'm currently drawn to a BMW to replace my '03 WRX.

What's the score with Alpina..? I know they take BMW's and fiddle about in the suspension, engine and interior, but with what sort of aims? Some of their products look very nice indeed and a break from the usual rep looking Beemer, with a considerable touch of class.

Eg: E46 M3 V's. B3s coupe...? What are the differences..?



Also as a slight addition (and please don't flame me here) can you fit a towbar to an E46 M3..?

Cheers,
Nige.

[spokey]

They are very easy to drive and frighteningly quick. One of my fondest memories of the 'ring was Andy Bovensiepen (in a B5) leaving us (in a CSL) for dust up Kesselchen ... drove away from us like we were looking for parking.

Lovely cars, I have my eye on a B12 at the moment.

[spokey]

In a more useful sense, I would tend to characterise them rather like Clarkson said in the comparison of the Carerra GT vs the McLaren SLR: ultimately the M car is possibly a better performer and slightly better at the ultimate edge of performance, but suffers when being used as a daily driver, whereas the equivalent Alpina would be 99% as good on the limit, but would feel good all of the time. Also, because Alpina are tuners, they don't seem too concerned with the 155MPH gentlemen's agreement.

They also tend to be better built and better quality. Also, since Alpina are tuners, you find some pretty bespoke touches in some of their cars, especially the higher-end ones (and not all of them might be to your taste! )

I would give the Alpina serious consideration.

[CommanderJameson]

An Alpina B10 is high on my list of droolworthy vehicles.

It's not hard to see why. That's a beautiful car for the money.

[derin100]

Here's a good place for you to learn a bit about Alpina:

www.thealpinaregister.com/

I had one until about a year ago...shouldn't have sold it!

www.bmwclassics.co.uk/alpina_b3/index.html

[m3evo2]

Alpina is actually classed as a manufacturer because of the extent they go to to re-work a BMW. As previously mentioned they are 99% of an M car but with added daily driveability whilst being a lot of fun and unique.

[v8voodoo]

Ok,

Sounds very interesting indeed.

What would be the newest Alpina in the 3 or 5 series size at <£40k..?
I know they do the new D3, but I was thinking more of a petrol powered version such as the B3s. Sounds very much like what I'm looking for as opposed to the 335i/d I was considering.

Thansk for the replies so far, very interesting indeed......

Cheers,
Nige.

[spokey]

v8voodoo said:

Ok,

Sounds very interesting indeed.

What would be the newest Alpina in the 3 or 5 series size at <£40k..?
I know they do the new D3, but I was thinking more of a petrol powered version such as the B3s. Sounds very much like what I'm looking for as opposed to the 335i/d I was considering.

You could easily get a used E39 B8 4.8 or E46 B3S 3.4 for that kind of money, but if you're prepared to step up to about 45K, you could get a used E60 B5, which is freaking mental. I'm sure you could get one of the entry-level models new for that money, too. Any of them would rock your world, I reckon.

www.Thealpinaregister.com is the best place to look for a used Alpina, but their classifieds seem to be down at the moment.

[stefan1]

I've been lucky enough to run an Alpina B5 for the past year, and have only the highest praise for the car. Before that I had an E39 M5, so I was concerned the B5 would not quite be as good a driver's car, but far from it, it is exceptionally refined but also a real hoot to drive progressively. It's body control is not, ultimately as good as an M-car, but I really enjoy the "iron fist in a velvet glove" feel. The B5 engine is a masterpiece - the first supercharged engine I've driven which has both lots of torque AND loves to rev - over 4,500rpm it is electrifyingly quick for a 2 tonne car (about as quick as my Gallardo!).

I also rather like its rarity value, although sadly that doesn't translate into good residuals. But I don't care, the car is a fantastic all rounder. It's even acquitted itself well around the 'Ring.

I've also been driven in the previous generation E39 Alpina 5 series - and it was a peach as well.

Kind regards

Steve

[apache]

I imagine this would be a barrel of laughs

www.pistonheads.com/sales/98447.htm

[gimlet]

As previously stated ... Alpina are classed as a manufacturer in their own right, they are far more than just a performance tuner.
Having visited the Factory at Buchloe last year I came away brimming with pride at being fortunate enough to own one of their cars. The level of service and attention to detail was/is fantastic. Whilst there I was introduced to the technician, Thomas Kleiner, who built my engine.

Alpina only built 362 E85 Roadster S cars, of which just 167 are RHD, and mine is No. 035.



They are great cars to drive ... Fast, they handle superbly, they are extremely well equipped in terms of spec, they can be reasonably economical to run and servicing costs are typically no more than the equivalent BMW, and they can be considered as exclusive.

They also do development work for BMW and other manufacturers ... for example the first Tiptronic Gear-shift used by Porsche came from Alpina.

Having owned Tuscans and a Chimaera previously there is no way that I would now move away from Alpina.

As you have probably gathered ... I am hooked.

www.alpina-automobiles.com/co_uk/alpina/alpina_philosophie.php

www.alpina-gemeinschaft.de/english/UntitledFrameset-e.htm

Edited by gimlet on Monday 1st January 20:14

Edited by gimlet on Monday 1st January 20:15

Edited by gimlet on Monday 1st January 21:36

[mustard]

To me in terms of quality these days to my mind Alpinas take some beating

You get the tried & tested mass produced BMW product (which is no bad thing in itslef) that is basically hand finished, some of their trim work is superb (if the owner has taste), recently saw an E39 B10 V8 in a beautiful 'Nightfall Blue' with Silver Grey Leather with full leather faced door casings,transmission tunnel & lower dash which really gave the car some class, and very much a bespoke car

To order one new you need to be well off to stomach the depreciation that a £70k suffers, but 2nd hand you reap the benefits

Coupled with the mechanical & suspension fettling, as said earlier you get a car thats a bit more subtle than an 'M'

[bennno]

the d3 marks a departure for alpina however in to the mass market, cloth seats, basic make over and engine tune and £27,500 - not sure how this may affect the brand?

I think they are more comparable to AMG (Auto, high torque etc), but at the moment a used E55 (476bhp) at £28k is better value than any comparible Alpina.

bennno

[v8voodoo]

I wonder what sort of costs the E90/92 Alpina B3 will go for..?

I understand it's being revealed in Geneva in March and will be OTR in the autumn.

Is it right that Alpina spec the car, then that's it when it comes to options..? Or that you can spec additional options at an additional cost of £2k plus the options on top..?

Regarding the E46 B3s, when was the last date they were made and (don't flame me) can you equip them with a towbar as I'm guessing their identical to the 330i out back..?

Cheers,
Nige.

[spokey]

v8voodoo said:

Is it right that Alpina spec the car, then that's it when it comes to options..? Or that you can spec additional options at an additional cost of £2k plus the options on top..?

There is pretty much nothing that Alpina will not do to your car in exchange for the requisite wedge. I've seen some pretty ghastly things, sadly. But most of it is good.

[bennno]

v8voodoo said:

Is it right that Alpina spec the car, then that's it when it comes to options..? Or that you can spec additional options at an additional cost of £2k plus the options on top..?

that is the case on the D3 which is fixed spec via Sytners as they place bulk orders to bring the price down, if you want leather say then its the cost plus £2k or something.

The B3 is going to be difficult to predict as BMW have filled its place with the 335i (i.e. mid way between 230bhp range topper and 340bhp M3).

I suspect its therefore either going to follow the path of the D3 and will be a worked over 335i turbo with say 340bhp (£38k) or a more expensive V8 engined car with a 4.5L block (£45k).... all subjective

Bennno

[gimlet]

The D3 can be ordered with any spec you like.
However, there is a surcharge of circa £2K which is applied in addition to any of the extras ordered.

The only thing you really cannot get for the D3 is an Auto gearshift.

There are 3 engines currently under development that could be considered for the new B3:

1. A 4.8-litre naturally aspirated V8
2. A 4.4-litre supercharged V8
3. A twin asymmetrical turbo straight six

My guess is that the price will be circa £42-45k.

[bennno]

I guess you might be right but then again who saw a worked over 320td becoming a d3? My suspicion is that they may tinker with the 335i in a similar vein to create the B3.

bennno

[gimlet]

Launch of Alpina B3 and facelifted B5 at Geneva:

[url]www.salon-auto.ch/en/en_images/index.php?idRubr=&idIndex=1100&idPage=1[/url]

[url]www.salon-auto.ch/en/en_images/index.php?idRubr=&idIndex=1101&idPage=1[/url]