Background
Alpina creates exclusive automobiles for a small circle of connoisseurs who appreciate the finest things in life – cars for gourmets, perhaps.
For over 50 years, the small autonomous family business has developed and produced cars, using BMWs as the starting point. Today, company founder Burkard Bovensiepen heads the company with his two sons Andreas and Florian.
The close cooperation with BMW is undoubtedly the basis for Alpina’s continued success. The cars produced are highly individual, but at the same time meet the stringent quality and safety standards that apply to large-scale car production.
From their back catalogue is the B3 S Biturbo, the marque’s take on the 335i. The renowned fettlers tuned the B3 S’s 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine to produce 395bhp, a staggering 90bhp more than the 335i. Torque was up too by more than 100lb ft to a heady 398lb ft.
Figures taken by Autocar for the convertible gave a 0-62mph sprint time of just 4.9 seconds. And should you be Nürburgring bound, the possibility exists to test out the unrestricted 185mph top speed on the autobahn. Only the brave or perhaps foolhardy should apply!
Comparisons were of course made with the M3, which at the time had V8 power. Was it any quicker? In the real world, probably not.
However, chassis-wise the B3 S was way softer than the M3’s and that was entirely deliberate on Alpina’s behalf. The company’s bespoke wheels were lighter and losing the runflat tyres gave the Alpina’s ride a suppleness and civility that was unmatched by any 3-Series. All this without any major sacrifice in body control too.
Autocar found the B3 S to be monumentally quick on the road, demolishing even the shortest of straights in double quick time.
The automatic gearbox worked smoothly with that powerhouse of an engine, even blipping on downshifts when you chose to shift manually.
So, fast, refined and distinctive, that was the Alpina B3 S Biturbo, and we are delighted to be able to offer a prime example for sale, in convertible form.
