We’ve never been afraid of saying that the BMW E39 M5 and its 4.9-liter V8 engine is one of our favorite cars ever to come out of Munich. Most of that is due to the design of the thing (that seems never to age) and its engine.
Judging by today’s standards, the 400 HP of the 5-liter block might seem like nothing but it was a rocket back then, and it had the sound to match. Fortunately, BMW used that engine in more than one application.
The second car that used the S62 plant was the iconic Z8, probably one of the best looking cars ever to be designed by BMW. It also borrowed its 6-speed manual gearbox, and it was (and still is) a joy to ride.
However, not everyone took a particular interest in it though. A lot of people said that it was bad, and Jeremy Clarkson even went as far as to compare driving it with driving a garbage truck. Of course, things weren’t all that bad but the suspension was indeed a bit on the harsh side of things while the steering was exceedingly heavy.
That’s probably why Alpina thought that they could do better. The way they went around these issues was a bit peculiar though. As you very well know, the German tuner usually takes Bimmers and gives them more power, more torque, more... everything. Well, this time, it went the other way around.
Alpina’s V8 roadsters used the less manic 4-liter V8 from the E39 540i model that was bored and stroked to a total of 4.6 liters. It, therefore, had less horsepower at 381 HP but more torque at 520 Nm (384 lb-ft).
On top of all that, they gave the car a softer suspension and an automatic 5-speed gearbox. For a focused sports car, those were wrong decisions. For a cruiser though, those were exactly the things the Z8 needed, and we guess that’s what Alpina went for.
Only 5,307 units were ever made by BMW and 555 by Alpina. Out of those 555, 444 made it to the US so this is a rare bird in the first place. It might have its flaws, but it’s still a worthy collector’s item. That’s why it is surprising to see five of them on sale at an Ohio dealer’s lot. That’s a fortune right there.
The prices vary from $359,000 to $378,000 and confirm the collector item status for these things as they had a starting price of $137,595 back when they were new.
The combinations vary from black on black models to one with a black exterior and red leather inside, mileage ranging from 2,754 to 9,745 miles on the clock.
The best news is that there’s also an original BMW Z8 included in the lot, and that would be our pick. Jeremy seems to agree, just check out his take on the car, in the video below.
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