RE: Spotted: Alpina B10 V8 S
Discussion
E24man said:
Nice nostalgia but the V8S is hardly 'quite a step up from the V8' as the V8 had at that time time 347bhp (not the earlier car's 340bhp) so only 7.7% increase and just 6% more torque from the V8 car's 354 lb/ft ( the devil is in the details ). The V8S was more special due to the firmer ride and much improved Brembo brakes over the V8 car. As for the 'antiquated' gearbox well it's as sharp to use as the current F10 530d's eight speed auto and far more useful to a driver in not having endless gears to shift through to find any engine-braking.
As for the stash of bent wheels, I'll wager they are mostly the 18's and not the 19's - the 18's seem to be made of swiss cheese when comparing the two.
I own the same b10 monkey has found in 4.6 format. I've decatted her, gives me that extra 25bhp and still passes tge annual test without having to reinstall them and fitted 18inch wheels. As for the stash of bent wheels, I'll wager they are mostly the 18's and not the 19's - the 18's seem to be made of swiss cheese when comparing the two.
It's great! You have to work the box in manual mode through the steering wheel controls and I've just found a place that will fit a quaff diff for £1500 can I justify it?
E24man said:
That steering wheel is an E46 SMG paddle shift wheel with the lower Alpina trim bolted on. You are correct in that Alpina switch-tronic steering wheel had discrete buttons on the rear of the wheel, they also had Alpina blue and green stitching as well as green and blue stitched gear direction arrows.
The Birds system was 'Switch-logic' which utilised a converted cruise control switch and allowed a similar control over the early 4 speed switchable mode gearboxes fitted to E24, E28, E32 and E34 cars. Unlike the Alpina system nothing was changed on the transmission at all, save for the gear switching electronics.
Ah yes I can see that now. Googled E39 SMG retrofit - seems amazingly straight forward.The Birds system was 'Switch-logic' which utilised a converted cruise control switch and allowed a similar control over the early 4 speed switchable mode gearboxes fitted to E24, E28, E32 and E34 cars. Unlike the Alpina system nothing was changed on the transmission at all, save for the gear switching electronics.
You're right it was the "switch logic" system I was thinking off. I considered it on my E30 Touring at one point.
I've lived in Nottingham all my life and being a BMW fan, Sytner and the Alpina brand have always been a little bit special to me. As a lad, I'd love looking at the Alpinas on the forecourt when Sytner were based on Huntingdon Street in the city centre. Alpina ownership is one box in life I really want to tick soon.
In fact, I'm off to Sytner later to look at this that's arrived this week in the showroom:
In fact, I'm off to Sytner later to look at this that's arrived this week in the showroom:
I've shortly owned a 2002 B10 V8 with the later 347hp lump.
Best bits were the noise (oh my...), the torquey engine, Alpina details, supple ride, and looks with
those rare 2 piece wheels.
A bit after the facelift they changed to metal headgaskets. Before that you can be pretty sure
they go pop at higher mileages.
They gearbox is also a point of attention. They are sealed units, so they can not be rebuilt and only replaced
by a complete Alpina switchtronic gearbox.
The 2 piece rims need to be put upside down on a tyremachine, or the lip will be damaged.
I really did love the noise, such a smooth but loud enough rumble.
Best bits were the noise (oh my...), the torquey engine, Alpina details, supple ride, and looks with
those rare 2 piece wheels.
A bit after the facelift they changed to metal headgaskets. Before that you can be pretty sure
they go pop at higher mileages.
They gearbox is also a point of attention. They are sealed units, so they can not be rebuilt and only replaced
by a complete Alpina switchtronic gearbox.
The 2 piece rims need to be put upside down on a tyremachine, or the lip will be damaged.
I really did love the noise, such a smooth but loud enough rumble.
Avantus said:
A bit after the facelift they changed to metal headgaskets. Before that you can be pretty sure
they go pop at higher mileages.
They gearbox is also a point of attention. They are sealed units, so they can not be rebuilt and only replaced
by a complete Alpina switchtronic gearbox.
The earlier head gaskets on the V8 are more likely to fail, yes, but I would be pretty confident in saying that if they've not gone by now they're likely to be ok, the affected cars are all over 12 years old by now. The new gaskets came in from a specific engine number some time around 2001 IIRC, the same gaskets as the X5 were used from then on.they go pop at higher mileages.
They gearbox is also a point of attention. They are sealed units, so they can not be rebuilt and only replaced
by a complete Alpina switchtronic gearbox.
Not true about the gearbox, it's a ZF unit which very similar to the 540 box, different torque converter and ECU are the main differences. It can be rebuilt and although it's designed to be "sealed for life" many owners do have the gearbox oil changed.
Completely in agreement about the noise, it's just glorious.
M666 EVO said:
I do like these, a lot but 16k? No. It's going nowhere
You could have my XJR for ALOT less than that and that has the same power and looks less chunky. Not as rare as the M5 though...
M5 are common as muck compared to these. Even the B10 V8 is very common compared to the S.You could have my XJR for ALOT less than that and that has the same power and looks less chunky. Not as rare as the M5 though...
Most V8S's are north of 100,000 miles these days and have settled around the £9,000 mark. 16k for a car with only 42,000 on the clock is reasonable and will probably sell.
B10bri said:
Not easy to choose a replacement car but I did like the 550i manual touring that was on here a while back
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