The company itself cites the B6 2.8 of 1978 as the first official, full-on BMW Alpina-a 328i powered by a 200-hp version of the inline six from a larger 528i. Bovensiepen’s finely engineered cars soon captured the attention of BMW itself. Its founder Bovensiepen, whose name is etched into a metal production plaque on the B7’s glossy wood console, expanded the family’s Alpina typewriter business by adding capital-H “Horsepower” to BMWs, beginning with a twin Weber carburetor set-up for the BMW 1500. Oh, and if you’re fond of blue, you’ll love the Alpina Blue metallic paint, the company’s signature color (along with Alpina Green) that’s verboten on standard BMWs.įor the uninitiated, Alpina Burkhard Bovensiepen KG is a tuning company in Buchloe, Germany, just west of Munich, which was begun in 1965. (European-market models can soar to an improbable 205 mph, faster than some supercars.) The Alpina’s uncanny handling and AWD stability, aided by a dual-axle air suspension, active rear-wheel steering and lift-reducing bodywork, makes it especially tempting for autobahn rockers, or Americans with a trusty radar detector. The result is one of the world’s swiftest sedans in the heavyweight division, with a boggling 193-mile-per-hour limited top speed. A stainless steel Alpina sport exhaust system cuts backpressure and sends more V8 growl through classy, twin elliptical exhaust outlets set flush into the rear apron. Alpina reworks the twin-scroll turbos and intercoolers adds a high-flow air intake system, Mahle pistons and NGK spark plugs and dials compression and boost to a respective 10:1 and 20 psi.
Yet the Alpina generates that Texas-sized thundering herd with an engine that’s 33-percent smaller, based on the twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V8 that powers the civilian-issue BMW 750i.
That alone might throw a gold-plated monkey wrench into your decision-making. Hmm, perhaps the M760i xDrive, with the same twin-turbo, 6.6-liter V12 that burbles in the palatial Rolls-Royce Ghost, Wraith, and Dawn? Those are some snooty bragging rights, a German-British alliance that’s a kind of Dunkirk in reverse.Īh, but what about the 2017 Alpina B7? In an unusual coincidence, the Alpina serves up 600 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, versus a near-identical 601 and 590 for the M760i.
#BMW IDRIVE REVIEW 2017 SERIES#
Decisions are hard for the BMW 7 Series shopper, at least for those who seek extra explosiveness.
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