The best thing about not having the F80 M3 right now is that we get to watch the closest car to it (in both performance and looks) being driven like crazy. We're talking about the Alpina B3 Biturbo, of course, the car Chris Harris tested just a few days back.
The first thing you should know about this car is that it's based on the F30 3 Series chassis and N55 engine. That's where the similarities end. The engine was upgraded using 2 turbochargers and the chassis was improved with some tweaks and tricks.
With an extra turbocharger, the 3-liter engine now develops 410 HP and 600 Nm of torque, an incredible amount, for a 4-door sedan the size of a 3er. What is even more amazing is the fact that the power is there at any moment, lag being absolutely gone.
The 8-speed gearbox was also improved by Alpina and is now called Switch-Tronic. In the rear-wheel-drive version, the car Chris drove, the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint is done in 4.2 seconds, whilst the AWD model (not available with right-hand drive) does it 0.2 seconds faster!
The exterior is done in pure Alpina style. The front bumper received the company's logo, new air intake, the wheels have the same, classic turbine look (that never gets dated) and the rear has a new boot lid.
Enough tech talk. The feel of the car is incredible. Even though Chris wanted an intermediate mode, the car can easily be used on a daily basis, smoking Corvettes at the light with the sleeper look.
On track, yet again, the Alpina is brilliant, drifting being one of its specialties, as it has a limited slip differential. The 20 inch rims won't be very helpful but at least you'll look good.
All of these things being said, we'll leave you to it. However, while watching the video below, keep one thing in mind: the F80 M3 will be even more hardcore. How about that?
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