Spotted special: an Alpina extravaganza
Discussion
carinaman said:
Many E39s seem to have pale leather interiors in biscuit or grey, shame more aren't charcoal with a discreet green and blue stripe. 
The pale colours look OK but seem impractical if you're not prepared to pay someone to regularly valet them or spend hours cleaning them yourself.
I used to have a blue V8 one with the black leather - I think it was a '98 and I sold it with about 98k on the clock for just over four grand - what a bargain for someone!The pale colours look OK but seem impractical if you're not prepared to pay someone to regularly valet them or spend hours cleaning them yourself.
The same guy has a couple of other bm's sitting on his drive 2002tii and a e30
fake7 said:
This one lives near me. It hasn't moved for ages, and looks a bit sorry for itself.
But is it real? it's got the "look" and the right wheels (and an interesting reg), but no badges to give it away.
What model do you think it is?
But is it real? it's got the "look" and the right wheels (and an interesting reg), but no badges to give it away.
What model do you think it is?
FunBusMk2 said:
simonigrale said:
I worked at Sytner Nottm for many years.
You may well have known Andy Oliver? He was a tech there for 20+ years and very highly regarded within Sytner and BMW GB. I remember once he diagnosed a fault with a McLaren F1 in Dubai by listening to it on tickover over the phone. I'm good friends with his Son.Sytner have been the sole Alpina concessionaire since 1983 (previously held by TWR) and being a Nottingham lad I'd love to look round the outside of the showroom at what was about when I was 'in town'. In the early days, the cars were converted in Nottingham with engines being sent back to Buchloe. Frank Sytner was a bit of a hero of mine and seeing his car with the plate 'FS 1' used to be quite exciting I seem to recall. The showroom now is on the edge of the city centre and the old site, pictured below, is a Lidl, Gym and student digs.
When I was 15 I did work experience there (1993) and remember it was when Alpina had launched the 20" wheel for the E38 - 20" wheels were unheard of back then.
Superb cars and I still love seeing them more than I do an M-car. The D5 Bi-turbo arrived at the Nottingham showroom recently but had to be sent back to Alpina for investigation after it ate it's rear diff - seem 700Nm of torque is maybe a bit much!
There was once a story that he had a diff lock up on Mapperley Top in an E36 B 2.5 Copue, the car spun of the road and ended up in a ditch!!!
A lot of good people worked at the old Sytner site and I have very good memeories of that place and all the cars that we were lucky enough to drive. The new dealership never felt the same.
E30Addict said:
Article said said:
The vendors call it a B2.5, but we don't actually quite know what that means (somebody can surely elighten us).
I think that this car has the Alpina bodykit but the engine will be an unmdified 2.5 litre, hence the badging. However I'm happy to be proved wrong...I think on the E36 the B2.5 was ECU upgrade, Manifolds + Exhaust which we did. The full fat B3 version was the same but with cams I think.
My days at Sytner were 1997 onwards and most of the cars came from Alpina built on seperate transporters. B3 3.2 switchtronic E36, all E39s B10 4.6, V8s 4.8, 3.2, 3.3 ect ect.
I remember the E39 5 series B10 3.2 Manual was a good car - about 280hp and a very revvy 6 pot engine.
My days at Sytner were 1997 onwards and most of the cars came from Alpina built on seperate transporters. B3 3.2 switchtronic E36, all E39s B10 4.6, V8s 4.8, 3.2, 3.3 ect ect.
I remember the E39 5 series B10 3.2 Manual was a good car - about 280hp and a very revvy 6 pot engine.
St John Smythe said:
E30Addict said:
Article said said:
The vendors call it a B2.5, but we don't actually quite know what that means (somebody can surely elighten us).
I think that this car has the Alpina bodykit but the engine will be an unmdified 2.5 litre, hence the badging. However I'm happy to be proved wrong...Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff