2001 ALPINA B10 4.6 V8

Finished in Topaz Blue with a grey leather interior, this lovely Alpina B10 reeks of barely disguised menace. Fitted with the incredible 340bhp Alpina-fettled V8 engine, the power is fed to the rear wheels via an automatic gearbox.

Incredibly, it’s now 21 years old, not that you’d know it a first glance because this is a very well conserved example of a model that tends to be above average in its curation anyway; as we are fond of saying, you buy nice cars from nice people and Alpina folk tend to be the best-of-the-best when it comes to looking after their cars.

Still showing just over 65,000 miles on the clock and with three previous owners, this is a great opportunity to get your hands on a well-fettled B10 that’s had all the usual problems taken care of, which means you can sit back and enjoy driving one of the best-handling cars of its generation.

The panels all fit as well now as they did when the car was assembled – and that’s high praise indeed. Few cars are as well built as this and they tend to shrug off the years with impressive aplomb.

The paintwork is equally impressive with a good sheen and an incredible quality finish given its age. In fact, it’s so good that while we’d normally wait until the end of this section to break any bad news, the fact that the only significant mark we can find is on the wing mirror and surround and that the rest is “pretty exceptional” according to our assessor says it all.

(NB. The sills and jacking points were cut out and welded in January 2022, and the boot lid was painted in February of the same year. These are well-known E39 issues and the fact they’ve already been sorted out should be seen as a definite plus.)

The flanks are good and straight too, and all the openings open and close as they should.

The chromework might be limited in scope but the quality and condition is almost flawless. The lamp lenses, window glass, and badges are all good too, but then you’d probably guessed that by now, hadn’t you?

The 19-inch Alpina alloy wheels have been refurbished and they are fitted with matching Michelin PilotSport tyres, all of which have good tread left on them.

Of course, aside from the mark we’ve already mentioned there are a few stonechips plus one light scratch to the lower rear bumper, a similarly minor one on the rear spoiler, and small marks on the nearside rear door, driver’s door, and behind the front light on the wing.

This might look like a lot but this is us at our most fastidious, and we’d welcome potential bidders in person to see for themselves just how well preserved the B10 is.

The interior is exceptional. It seems that not only does Alpina build its cars unusually well but they also attract the sort of caring and fastidious owners we’d all like to buy our classic cars from.

There is some very light wear to the driver’s seat but that’s only a slight softening and a few wrinkles (comes to us all, eh?) but everything else really is in an excellent condition including the headlining.

All the electrically operated items work as they should – including the cute little sav-nav - and the air-conditioning system was checked and recharged in June 2021. The white lettering on the switches is still bright and clean and the overall presentation is incredible when you consider its age.

The build plaque on the headlining is present and correct and confirms the car’s status as a genuine Alpina B10 V8.

The boot is as clean as the rest of the car and still contains the OE tool kit and full-size Alpina spare alloy wheel and Michelin tyre. It also contains the removeable towbar, and lifting the contents out shows nothing other than solid, clean metal in the wheel well.

Yes, this is a short section but while I could waffle on for a while more, there’s nothing to add other than it really is every bit as good as it looks in the photos.

As you can see (and hear!), the 4.6-litre BMW V8 engine starts instantly, ticks over beautifully, and revs like a demon. It also drove well on our test run, pulling well and changing gear effortlessly. There are no warning lights illuminated.

The engine bay itself is as clean as the rest of the car and a credit to those who’ve looked after it over the years.

Most recently serviced on the 1st of April 2022 at 65,223 miles by Cotswold Cheltenham BMW, the Alpina’s MoT certificate, which is valid until March 2023, was gained without drawing any adverse comments from the MoT tester – just like it did the year before.

It has since done less than 250 miles since Cotswold Cheltenham BMW gave it the all green health check in April.

This work is included in the stack of paperwork along with all the other invoices that were part of the recommissioning work the car had in 2021, work that included a full service, new spark plugs, and fresh fluids including the gearbox oil.

The B10 also comes with a thick wad of paperwork for servicing and maintenance plus the BMW and Alpina handbooks in an Alpina wallet.

It also has two sets of keys and the recent Vehicle History Check is clear.

The Alpina B10 is a much rarer, and some say better, car than the BMW M5

Most thrusting young executives bought as they ascended the corporate ladder. As such, it is a much sought after modern classic and one that will always find a ready buyer.

The price of good ones are likely to do well in the medium to long-term and while the price of M5s has rocketed in recent years, the Alpina is still a bit of a slow-burner, which means they’re spectacular value at the moment.

This one, for example, has a guide price of £17,000 to £22,000, which looks like great value for a car that goes and handles better than just about anything in its class.