Photo: eBay
We recently told you the five cars that you absolutely have to drive before you kick the bucket and that list included the iconic BMW E30 M3. Well back in those days, the M cars and the standard ones used the same base chassis with some modifications, unlike today, when the hardcore versions are even more apart from the stock ones.
From the same day and age comes the car we’re showing you today, that’s currently up for sale on eBay. It’s an Alpina B6 3.5 and back then, the number coming after the ‘B’ in a car’s designation didn’t necessarily relate to the model it was based on. Today, for example, the B3 is based on the 3 Series, the B5 on the 5 Series and so on.
This B6 3.5 however, is based on the E30 3 Series and it is a brilliant piece of machinery, hailing from Alpina’s early days. Only 218 of them were ever made and finding one still working is a gruesome task, let alone one that actually looks like this.
Yes, this beauty is basically in mint condition, with everything you could want on it not only looking great but also still working.
The seller claims that this is the only car of its kind in the US at the moment and that it has 88,250 miles (142,000 km) on the odometer which is kind-of a lot but not for a car of its age. Being built in 1986, this thing is now nearly 30 years old...
So what’s different from the 325i it’s based on. Well, as the name suggests, the engine under the bonnet is Alpina’s own 3.5-liter 6-cylinder plant that makes 261 HP and 255 lb-ft (346 Nm) of torque, considerable improvement from the stock 218 HP and 214 lb-ft (290 Nm) of torque.
It might not seem like much by today’s standards but on a car that weighed just over one tonne it meant a hell of a lot. Furthermore, just look at the M3 and you’ll realize that this thing had more power than the legendary car, and by a lot to be perfectly frank.
Of course, the 3.5-liter inline 6 unit is considerably heavier and it does affect the car’s balance but as long as we didn’t drive it, we can’t really say how much worse or better it is. It does sound pretty good though.
And now we come to the last issue: the price. According to the seller, the $62,000 make perfect sense:
“Alpina B6 2.8s cost 35,000 euros and are much less of a car and are often on the market. That's $41,300 for a B6 2.8. A 3.5 is a whole different beast and is easily worth 25% more, which would be $51,625 in Europe. Then there is the shipping to the port and shipping across the ocean which ads another $4000 ($55,625), and then the custom duties of 2.5 percent ($57,015) and then a full mechanical service, top end rebuild, and full detail costing around ($5000) and you can see that the buy it now price is right on target.”
If his numbers are accurate and considering that the 3.5 is worth ‘easily’ 25% more than a 2.8, it’s not a big price tag but would you pay that much for an old Alpina when you can get a brand new M3 with the same amount of money?
This B6 3.5 however, is based on the E30 3 Series and it is a brilliant piece of machinery, hailing from Alpina’s early days. Only 218 of them were ever made and finding one still working is a gruesome task, let alone one that actually looks like this.
Yes, this beauty is basically in mint condition, with everything you could want on it not only looking great but also still working.
The seller claims that this is the only car of its kind in the US at the moment and that it has 88,250 miles (142,000 km) on the odometer which is kind-of a lot but not for a car of its age. Being built in 1986, this thing is now nearly 30 years old...
So what’s different from the 325i it’s based on. Well, as the name suggests, the engine under the bonnet is Alpina’s own 3.5-liter 6-cylinder plant that makes 261 HP and 255 lb-ft (346 Nm) of torque, considerable improvement from the stock 218 HP and 214 lb-ft (290 Nm) of torque.
It might not seem like much by today’s standards but on a car that weighed just over one tonne it meant a hell of a lot. Furthermore, just look at the M3 and you’ll realize that this thing had more power than the legendary car, and by a lot to be perfectly frank.
Of course, the 3.5-liter inline 6 unit is considerably heavier and it does affect the car’s balance but as long as we didn’t drive it, we can’t really say how much worse or better it is. It does sound pretty good though.
And now we come to the last issue: the price. According to the seller, the $62,000 make perfect sense:
“Alpina B6 2.8s cost 35,000 euros and are much less of a car and are often on the market. That's $41,300 for a B6 2.8. A 3.5 is a whole different beast and is easily worth 25% more, which would be $51,625 in Europe. Then there is the shipping to the port and shipping across the ocean which ads another $4000 ($55,625), and then the custom duties of 2.5 percent ($57,015) and then a full mechanical service, top end rebuild, and full detail costing around ($5000) and you can see that the buy it now price is right on target.”
If his numbers are accurate and considering that the 3.5 is worth ‘easily’ 25% more than a 2.8, it’s not a big price tag but would you pay that much for an old Alpina when you can get a brand new M3 with the same amount of money?
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