RE: Alpina B5 Touring: Review

[Chestrockwell]

Philv8s said:

They keep the BMW badge on the car Ross as a homage to the donor/partnership of the companies! If you see an Alpina boot or bonnet roundel it is an eBay special! Complex I know.
I didn’t really get the Alpina thing until I owned one.
After I sold my first I got a BMW 760, sold it in less than a year to get back into another Alpina! as many other Alpina owners find, once bitten the Alpina thing is a magic recipe.
I believe there an above average repeat ownership of the marque so they must be doing something right.
My first Alpina is for sale currently
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

And here is my current one.

That’s a beast, proper machine!

[ATM]

Just had a look on AT. They dont have Alpina as a make. You have to select BMW and then the Alpina models are in models.

[Philv8s]

Just proves Auto trader don’t know much I guess! Pistonheads and eBay have Alpina as a manufacturer for what it’s worth!

Edited by Philv8s on Wednesday 27th December 10:18

[ATM]

There is an early E60 B5 on eBay. In the pics it even looks like it has an E46 style key. I thought they all had a box type key. Clearly not. Also from the blurb -


THERE WAS ONLY EVER AROUND 700 MADE FOR THE WORLD AND ONLY 21 WERE RIGHT HAND DRIVES MADE FOR THE UK SO A VERY RARE CAR.

[DoubleD]

Philv8s said:

Just proves Auto trader don’t know much I guess! Pistonheads and eBay have Alpina as a manufacturer for what it’s worth!

Edited by Philv8s on Wednesday 27th December 10:18

Yeah what would Autotrader know about cars.

[Philv8s]

The key fob changed for the lci models I believe.
71 B5 saloons sold in the U.K. out of 428 made in total global production.

[popeyewhite]

DoubleD said:

Philv8s said:

Just proves Auto trader don’t know much I guess! Pistonheads and eBay have Alpina as a manufacturer for what it’s worth!

Edited by Philv8s on Wednesday 27th December 10:18

Yeah what would Autotrader know about cars.

I'm honestly not bothered either way but I think if anyone is asked "what is an Alpina" they will be told it's a BMW adapted/tuned etc by Alpina. Oh and the B5 looks lovely.

[Notanotherturbo]

I've previously had E23 7 Series B10 , 2 x E34 5 Series B10 and currently own a E24 6 Series B10 and an E39 5 Series B10 and everyone of them is a massive improvement over the car it is based on and IMO a better resolved road car than the equivalent M car of the time except for the E39.

[Chestrockwell]

ATM said:

Just had a look on AT. They dont have Alpina as a make. You have to select BMW and then the Alpina models are in models.

They used to have it! Not any more and it’s a right pain searching for one, each variant has its own section

[ATM]

Philv8s said:

The key fob changed for the lci models I believe.
71 B5 saloons sold in the U.K. out of 428 made in total global production.

Serious bearding which didn't go unnoticed.