The Gods have smiled upon us and offered Alpina enough wit to put together a brilliant car that celebrates its 50th anniversary these days. The Geneva Motor Show was the venue the company picked for its big unveiling and we have to admit we’re impressed.
The B5 Biturbo Edition 50 model is bold in design and has specs beyond our wildest dreams, leaving even BMW’s own M5 behind in terms of performance, not to mention style and elegance.
Under the bonnet lies the same 4.4-liter V8 twin-turbo N63 mill we’ve been getting used to from the ‘regular’ B5, but it was drastically improved for this occasion. The tuner/manufacturer replaced the ECU and turbochargers with ones developed in-house.
Along with a revised intake and exhaust, the power output went up from 450 HP to 600 HP. That’s a 30 percent increase! On top of that, the torque figure now towers at 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) compared to 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) which was the standard figure for the BMW plant.
Unlike on the M5, cog-swapping duties are done by a ZF 8-speed gearbox that was tuned to handle the extra grunt and sends its power to the rear wheels that are controlled by a Drexler limited-slip differential.
Despite being RWD, the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) is done in 4.2 seconds and the top speed was increased to 203 mph (327 km/h) for the Sedan and 200 mph (322 km/h) for the Estate.
Inside the cabin is the usual Alpina business, with Nappa leather all around and special plaques and numbers to remember you that this is a special, special model.
If you don’t like sedans, it’s easy to choose the Alpina B6 Biturbo version that has the same specs but is based on the 6 Series range instead. You can get a Coupe, Convertible or Gran Coupe and the performance is virtually the same, with the 600 HP engine being used in these too. Only 50 units will ever be made and prices are to be announced.
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