E34 Alpina B10 3.5
Discussion
I'm potentially going to buy an E34 B10 as a project car. The car hasn't been driven for some years so is going to need some work. Just so there are not too many nasty surprises, can anybody shed some light on how specialised Alpinas are in terms of part supply? Things like brakes, engine service items, suspension etc...
Any links to some information about these cars would be wonderful as well.
Any links to some information about these cars would be wonderful as well.
If you're going to do it properly, it will cost and take you some time.
The E34 shares many of it's parts with the BMW 535i that its based on, which is handy. However, engine mods, suspension, exhaust and wheels and bodykit are unique to the car so it's Alpina for these parts, or second-hand if you're lucky enough to find them.
Do you have any details on the car to help get a clearer picture? Basic recommisioning is the order of the day to get it running and see what you're dealing with. If it's been stood idle for some time, rust will be the biggest issue.
The E34 shares many of it's parts with the BMW 535i that its based on, which is handy. However, engine mods, suspension, exhaust and wheels and bodykit are unique to the car so it's Alpina for these parts, or second-hand if you're lucky enough to find them.
Do you have any details on the car to help get a clearer picture? Basic recommisioning is the order of the day to get it running and see what you're dealing with. If it's been stood idle for some time, rust will be the biggest issue.
Sounds like a great project but Alpina of that vintage come with a long list of specialist parts which will be difficult to replace if they are missing, I'd agree though that rust will probably be the biggest worry.
E34 B10 3.5
Based on M30 - 3430 cc engine with lightweight Mahle pistons and an increased CR of 10.0:1, modified cylinder head & camshaft, tubular steel exhaust gave 260 PS @ 5700 rpm (non-cat) & 325Nm @ 4000 rpm. Should have a LSD and Alpina wheels 8.5 at the front & 9.5 at the back. Shorter springs & Bilstein dampers & Michelin MXX tyres (235/45 & 265/40).
Should have Alpina interior options too including blue & green striped cloth seats or leather, wooden gear lever Alpina knob, Momo four spoke steering wheel with blue & green stitching and Alpina instrument dials.
Is it LHD or RHD, if RH then built by Sytners in Nottingham, if LH then built in Germany at Buchloe
Good info & friendly members here http://www.thealpinaregister.com/
Official Alpina site here: http://www.bmwalpina.co.uk/
Book: BMW Alpina by James Taylor
E34 B10 3.5
Based on M30 - 3430 cc engine with lightweight Mahle pistons and an increased CR of 10.0:1, modified cylinder head & camshaft, tubular steel exhaust gave 260 PS @ 5700 rpm (non-cat) & 325Nm @ 4000 rpm. Should have a LSD and Alpina wheels 8.5 at the front & 9.5 at the back. Shorter springs & Bilstein dampers & Michelin MXX tyres (235/45 & 265/40).
Should have Alpina interior options too including blue & green striped cloth seats or leather, wooden gear lever Alpina knob, Momo four spoke steering wheel with blue & green stitching and Alpina instrument dials.
Is it LHD or RHD, if RH then built by Sytners in Nottingham, if LH then built in Germany at Buchloe
Good info & friendly members here http://www.thealpinaregister.com/
Official Alpina site here: http://www.bmwalpina.co.uk/
Book: BMW Alpina by James Taylor
Edited by Simon1397 on Tuesday 5th July 22:34
Edited by Simon1397 on Tuesday 5th July 22:38
Thanks gents. Fairly sure its the real deal although chasing up paperwork at the moment. It's N/A rather than the Turbo and RHD. According to the owner, the brakes will need attention (to be expected) so I think I'd need to budget for discs and pads all round and maybe seals etc, possibly brake lines as well. I don't know about the suspension. Engine and box sounds fine but may need new fuel lines. Couple of electrical issues. I think I'd need to anticipate new tyres all round as well. There is apparently some rust on the front wings but otherwise ok. Where else are these susceptible to rust? It also has a blowing exhaust. Hopefully that could be repaired otherwise I presume big bills? Don't know if I'm going to go for it yet, just trying to gather info at this stage so I know what I'm getting into it.
And thanks for the links etc. Plenty of good info to wade through.
And thanks for the links etc. Plenty of good info to wade through.
Brakes are easy. Standard 535i items. The calipers don't like sitting dormant, though, so you may need to refurbish/replace these.
GSF and ECP do refurb items as a fraction of the price of new. Alternatively, you could clean the existing ones up first and see how they fare.
Brake lines corrode over time, anyway, so it's far to say they'll need some form of attention. These are easy to source.
The engine should idle around 900prm and feel a little lumpy. This is due to the cam profile. In addition, the gearbox should give a little chatter when switching the ignition off. Another trait of this car.
They are prone to overheating, so check for signs of this (brown watery residue) - particularly around the expansion tank and the radiator cowling.
The jacking points will rust badly, as will the inner sills, particulalry in the front foot wells. They can also suffer around the fuel filler neck(inside and out) as well as behind the bumpers. Check there for crash damage, too.
If it's a genuine Boysen/Alpina exhaust, you can try and patch it up as they are best part of £1400 new. A standard 535i item will fit, though.
GSF and ECP do refurb items as a fraction of the price of new. Alternatively, you could clean the existing ones up first and see how they fare.
Brake lines corrode over time, anyway, so it's far to say they'll need some form of attention. These are easy to source.
The engine should idle around 900prm and feel a little lumpy. This is due to the cam profile. In addition, the gearbox should give a little chatter when switching the ignition off. Another trait of this car.
They are prone to overheating, so check for signs of this (brown watery residue) - particularly around the expansion tank and the radiator cowling.
The jacking points will rust badly, as will the inner sills, particulalry in the front foot wells. They can also suffer around the fuel filler neck(inside and out) as well as behind the bumpers. Check there for crash damage, too.
If it's a genuine Boysen/Alpina exhaust, you can try and patch it up as they are best part of £1400 new. A standard 535i item will fit, though.
Frances The Mute said:
Brakes are easy. Standard 535i items. The calipers don't like sitting dormant, though, so you may need to refurbish/replace these.
GSF and ECP do refurb items as a fraction of the price of new. Alternatively, you could clean the existing ones up first and see how they fare.
Brake lines corrode over time, anyway, so it's far to say they'll need some form of attention. These are easy to source.
The engine should idle around 900prm and feel a little lumpy. This is due to the cam profile. In addition, the gearbox should give a little chatter when switching the ignition off. Another trait of this car.
They are prone to overheating, so check for signs of this (brown watery residue) - particularly around the expansion tank and the radiator cowling.
The jacking points will rust badly, as will the inner sills, particulalry in the front foot wells. They can also suffer around the fuel filler neck(inside and out) as well as behind the bumpers. Check there for crash damage, too.
If it's a genuine Boysen/Alpina exhaust, you can try and patch it up as they are best part of £1400 new. A standard 535i item will fit, though.
Brilliant thanks. Great pointers. I'm not sure that this is going to happen right now as the V5 and other paperwork is not in place. Hopefully it'll get sorted and I have a friend who is local to the car and knows his stuff to have a look at it. GSF and ECP do refurb items as a fraction of the price of new. Alternatively, you could clean the existing ones up first and see how they fare.
Brake lines corrode over time, anyway, so it's far to say they'll need some form of attention. These are easy to source.
The engine should idle around 900prm and feel a little lumpy. This is due to the cam profile. In addition, the gearbox should give a little chatter when switching the ignition off. Another trait of this car.
They are prone to overheating, so check for signs of this (brown watery residue) - particularly around the expansion tank and the radiator cowling.
The jacking points will rust badly, as will the inner sills, particulalry in the front foot wells. They can also suffer around the fuel filler neck(inside and out) as well as behind the bumpers. Check there for crash damage, too.
If it's a genuine Boysen/Alpina exhaust, you can try and patch it up as they are best part of £1400 new. A standard 535i item will fit, though.
I see that you own one. What's your general opinion of it, positive and negative?
It's a tough one to give a summary on. I've had it for just over 8 years. I coveted one for some time before that so I've changed my opnion on it several times over my ownership.
The reality is that as the car stands today, it's not that 'special' now in terms of power. It's a heavy old bus with a 12 valve powerplant so it's pretty old-school. That doesn't stop it being fun, though.
The car doesn't wake up until you're over 60mph; then it starts to really gather pace. It's an absolute joy on the twisties, belying it's size. It's also surprisingly balanced and communicative for such a big car, so unless you're a weapons grade bell-end, you can exploit it without any issue.
Outside of that, it's rare to see E34's on the road, especially if it's an Alpina. 50 were made for the UK market so they were never that common. Current estimates puts them in the teens for remaining examples. They will always attract admiring glances. I've had a lot of enthusiastic passers-by comment on it which is always nice.
Mine has gone from an all-day/commuting car (which blunts it's appeal) to a restored, cherished example that took up a couple of years of my life and a few shekels from my wallet to achieve. As such, it tends to break cover in summer.
The bottom line is that the car is now very engaging as everything is essentially new so it's nice to feel 'treated' when I go out for a drive. Each drive is an event as opposed to a journey.
The reality is that as the car stands today, it's not that 'special' now in terms of power. It's a heavy old bus with a 12 valve powerplant so it's pretty old-school. That doesn't stop it being fun, though.
The car doesn't wake up until you're over 60mph; then it starts to really gather pace. It's an absolute joy on the twisties, belying it's size. It's also surprisingly balanced and communicative for such a big car, so unless you're a weapons grade bell-end, you can exploit it without any issue.
Outside of that, it's rare to see E34's on the road, especially if it's an Alpina. 50 were made for the UK market so they were never that common. Current estimates puts them in the teens for remaining examples. They will always attract admiring glances. I've had a lot of enthusiastic passers-by comment on it which is always nice.
Mine has gone from an all-day/commuting car (which blunts it's appeal) to a restored, cherished example that took up a couple of years of my life and a few shekels from my wallet to achieve. As such, it tends to break cover in summer.
The bottom line is that the car is now very engaging as everything is essentially new so it's nice to feel 'treated' when I go out for a drive. Each drive is an event as opposed to a journey.
Frances The Mute said:
It's a tough one to give a summary on. I've had it for just over 8 years. I coveted one for some time before that so I've changed my opnion on it several times over my ownership.
The reality is that as the car stands today, it's not that 'special' now in terms of power. It's a heavy old bus with a 12 valve powerplant so it's pretty old-school. That doesn't stop it being fun, though.
The car doesn't wake up until you're over 60mph; then it starts to really gather pace. It's an absolute joy on the twisties, belying it's size. It's also surprisingly balanced and communicative for such a big car, so unless you're a weapons grade bell-end, you can exploit it without any issue.
Outside of that, it's rare to see E34's on the road, especially if it's an Alpina. 50 were made for the UK market so they were never that common. Current estimates puts them in the teens for remaining examples. They will always attract admiring glances. I've had a lot of enthusiastic passers-by comment on it which is always nice.
Mine has gone from an all-day/commuting car (which blunts it's appeal) to a restored, cherished example that took up a couple of years of my life and a few shekels from my wallet to achieve. As such, it tends to break cover in summer.
The bottom line is that the car is now very engaging as everything is essentially new so it's nice to feel 'treated' when I go out for a drive. Each drive is an event as opposed to a journey.
Thanks for taking the time to write all that. You describe the car in more or less the manner I imagine them to be. I love the looks and I like the rarity/intrigue that an Alpina brings with it. I was surprised to see that it is likely to be slower than my 330i but that is of no real concern. Frustrating thing is that now I have got my hopes up a little to buy the thing (and more importantly, wife approval) it looks less likely to happen. The current owner bought it to break and so wasn't too concerned about acquiring the paperwork etc... Now that he wants to sell it whole, he is trying to sort this out with the previous owner but getting nowhere. Obviously, I'll not be buying the car until something is sorted.The reality is that as the car stands today, it's not that 'special' now in terms of power. It's a heavy old bus with a 12 valve powerplant so it's pretty old-school. That doesn't stop it being fun, though.
The car doesn't wake up until you're over 60mph; then it starts to really gather pace. It's an absolute joy on the twisties, belying it's size. It's also surprisingly balanced and communicative for such a big car, so unless you're a weapons grade bell-end, you can exploit it without any issue.
Outside of that, it's rare to see E34's on the road, especially if it's an Alpina. 50 were made for the UK market so they were never that common. Current estimates puts them in the teens for remaining examples. They will always attract admiring glances. I've had a lot of enthusiastic passers-by comment on it which is always nice.
Mine has gone from an all-day/commuting car (which blunts it's appeal) to a restored, cherished example that took up a couple of years of my life and a few shekels from my wallet to achieve. As such, it tends to break cover in summer.
The bottom line is that the car is now very engaging as everything is essentially new so it's nice to feel 'treated' when I go out for a drive. Each drive is an event as opposed to a journey.
That's a shame.
Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for these cars to end up unloved and broken for spares given their rarity in the first place.
I'm an E34 zealot and have been since my mid-teens so I'm one of an ever decreasing band of people prepared to expend the effort to keep one in top form and on the road. I hope it does work out for you. It would be great to see another example saved.
Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for these cars to end up unloved and broken for spares given their rarity in the first place.
I'm an E34 zealot and have been since my mid-teens so I'm one of an ever decreasing band of people prepared to expend the effort to keep one in top form and on the road. I hope it does work out for you. It would be great to see another example saved.
Frances The Mute said:
That's a shame.
Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for these cars to end up unloved and broken for spares given their rarity in the first place.
I'm an E34 zealot and have been since my mid-teens so I'm one of an ever decreasing band of people prepared to expend the effort to keep one in top form and on the road. I hope it does work out for you. It would be great to see another example saved.
Cheers. Hopefully my mate can view it for me this weekend. Fingers crossed.Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for these cars to end up unloved and broken for spares given their rarity in the first place.
I'm an E34 zealot and have been since my mid-teens so I'm one of an ever decreasing band of people prepared to expend the effort to keep one in top form and on the road. I hope it does work out for you. It would be great to see another example saved.
One question, should this car be registered as an Alpina B10 or a BMW 535? Reason I ask is that running it through a free car check brings it up as a 535 i se but all clues suggest it is an Alpina.
It should be registered as a 535i.
Essentially, these cars were 'converted' at Sytner Nottingham as opposed to being factory supplied from Buchloe. As such, they were registered as the base car, then the work took place to change the associated components.
This is why some insurance companies can be a little problematic with regards to cover. Some don't recognise it, some will class it as an import. A specialist will have no problem at all.
Sytner may still have the build sheet data for the car (they were hand-written in those days), but you would need to supply the reg mark and last 7 digits of the VIN for them to check for you.
Essentially, these cars were 'converted' at Sytner Nottingham as opposed to being factory supplied from Buchloe. As such, they were registered as the base car, then the work took place to change the associated components.
This is why some insurance companies can be a little problematic with regards to cover. Some don't recognise it, some will class it as an import. A specialist will have no problem at all.
Sytner may still have the build sheet data for the car (they were hand-written in those days), but you would need to supply the reg mark and last 7 digits of the VIN for them to check for you.
Frances The Mute said:
It should be registered as a 535i.
Essentially, these cars were 'converted' at Sytner Nottingham as opposed to being factory supplied from Buchloe. As such, they were registered as the base car, then the work took place to change the associated components.
This is why some insurance companies can be a little problematic with regards to cover. Some don't recognise it, some will class it as an import. A specialist will have no problem at all.
Sytner may still have the build sheet data for the car (they were hand-written in those days), but you would need to supply the reg mark and last 7 digits of the VIN for them to check for you.
Thanks once again. Do you have any recommendations for insurance?Essentially, these cars were 'converted' at Sytner Nottingham as opposed to being factory supplied from Buchloe. As such, they were registered as the base car, then the work took place to change the associated components.
This is why some insurance companies can be a little problematic with regards to cover. Some don't recognise it, some will class it as an import. A specialist will have no problem at all.
Sytner may still have the build sheet data for the car (they were hand-written in those days), but you would need to supply the reg mark and last 7 digits of the VIN for them to check for you.
Flux have come back with a comedy quote. The guy I spoke to on the phone said that it couldn't be insured as a classic but would be classed (bizarrely)as a B10 3.3 (i.e E39 shape). Anybody have any recommendations for a company that acknowledge the existence of this car?
Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 13th July 17:18
Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 13th July 17:40
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