Alpina B3 Touring 2021 - The Best Barried-up Bimmer?
Discussion
I’ve recently picked my car up, having ordered from the factory last Summer and I thought I’d post a thread on here for a few of reasons. Firstly to share my excitement, somewhat self-indulgently I admit. Secondly, because perhaps not everyone knows what Alpina are about or they may have an impression of them that’s different to the reality. On the other hand I know some folk know exactly what Alpina are all about but nevertheless don’t really understand the appeal and whilst I can’t claim to know what motivates every Alpina buyer in to purchasing one of their cars, nor do I seek to change anybody’s opinion - to each, their own after all - I can try to get across what it is about them that appeals to me enough to buy one. Thirdly, there is next to no owner information online about this car given both its rarity and novelty, so any prospective buyer has to rely on road tests by motoring journos to try to work out if this might be the car for them. That being said I haven’t been able to actually drive the thing much given what's going on and since I picked it up less than a week ago, so I can’t really give any meaningful feedback on the ownership experience, at least not until a later post further down the line. What I can do is try to convey, objectively and subjectively, what it is that excites me so much about what might at first glance appear to be a dull, somewhat unfashionable German estate car with a pokey engine.
Alpina, purveyors of wine and formerly of typewriters also have a small side business of fettling and repurposing standard BMW’s. Their modus operandi is to produce cars that are rapid, comfortable cruisers with easily accessible power but which are also a good steer when the right road is in view. They have typically done this by taking a standard BMW and comprehensively upgrading its running gear. The majority of those upgrades are integrated into the BMW production line before the car is finished - mostly for reworking the interior - at their factory in Buchloe. If you want to trigger an Alpina aficionado, then call the company a tuner. In fact Alpina are a certified manufacturer in their own right; the changes they make are far more than skin deep and will typically involve every aspect of the drivetrain and suspension, as well as cosmetic enhancements. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle in that they’re clearly not a manufacturer in exactly the same way as BMW are since they don’t make the cars from scratch, but the key difference versus a tuning company is the aforementioned production line integration; the cars leave the factory as a BMW Alpina, not as a standard BMW which is subsequently modified after production is complete. This is why every Alpina has two VINs - the original number assigned to the donor chassis is subsequently crossed out and superseded by the number denoting its conversion. Furthermore Alpina engineers work closely with BMW, lending their expertise in the development of future BMW models. As has been remarked frequently elsewhere, the relationship between the two companies is somewhat unique in the industry.
I’ve wanted an Alpina since I was at school, so 20+ years ago now. I couldn't even tell you why exactly, though I have an idea. I always thought BMW’s were pretty cool and the E46 came out around the time and I loved the look of that car in all its flavours. As for Alpina? I’m a natural contrarian and an Alpina was and is a BMW, but just a bit different. Like many people interested in cars, I’ve always enjoyed spotting special and interesting vehicles whilst out and about and over the years the very, very infrequent times I’ve spotted the telltale alloy wheels or boot badges that indicate the car I’m looking at is not a standard Beemer have always piqued my interest and necessitated a second and a third glance. To me, they’re just cool. Some might think it’s just a Bimmer with a bodykit and some mods or even think it’s a BMW trim level but that’s part of the appeal. The small fraction of folk who recognise it for what it is will probably be car people. Everyone else will just drive on by.
As this is PH, many people reading this probably have some knowledge of the fundamentals of this car but for those who don’t a quick rundown. Alpina base this generation of B3 on the M340i, which means that the most obvious superficial change with the G21 over the F31 is that it looks more aggressive than the previous B3, which was based on the SE trimmed car. There is though an even bigger change under the bonnet in that this car is powered by a version of the S58 M division engine possessed by the upcoming G80/82 M3/4. Contrary to several erroneous reviews, this is not the first Alpina to be powered by a modified BMW Motorsport engine - the nearly 30 year-old B12 5.7 housed the S70B56 from the BMW 850CSi. Nevertheless it is true that Alpina have generally tended to take an engine from the regular, non-M BMW line up and upgrade that to improve performance. However, in this instance they have tweaked the S58 to produce less power than the M version of the engine (462hp) presumably so as not to show up the //Mothership. However, Alpina these days do not tend to produce cars with any kind of track pretensions, though they certainly have form for doing just that; the last such car being the E92 B3 GT3. Their mission, in the main, is to produce rapid cars that are comfortable on a run, easy to live with day-to-day and involving to drive but crucially, these are designed to be cars purely for the road. To that end, though power is down they’ve beefed up the torque - whilst replacing the turbos with smaller, more responsive units - to 700NM to make the shove provided as effortless as possible at the cost of drama at the top end of the rev range. Away from the engine bay they’ve replaced the springs and reprogrammed the dampers so their version of adaptive suspension includes an additional mode not present in the donor car and whereas BMW M have included a SPORT+ damper setting in the upcoming M3 - which I speculate a decent chunk of owners might deem unsuited to the average potholed road on the morning commute in this country - true to the Alpina way they’ve gone for a softer, more wallowy COMFORT+ setting suitable for long motorway cruises. The list of upgrades over the donor car continues with a new exhaust system; upgraded cooling; reprogrammed ZF8 ‘box; reprogrammed X-Drive AWD system as well as a stronger torque converter and driveshafts to cope with the extra grunt. The car has an LSD at the rear; the track is widened; there is more front camber dialled in and it has bespoke anti roll bars and bump stops. The tyres are bespoke to the car as are the wheels and the brakes. The front splitter and rear diffuser are new. The interior is re-upholstered and stitched even if you don't go for the full Lavalina options. The steering wheel and airbag cover is trimmed in Lavalina. I’ve certainly missed out some other upgrades and changes, but you get the idea. Alpina don’t do half measures.
Mind you, even if it were just an M340i wearing a different dress, it’s still a pretty nice dress. It helps that, to me at least, the G21 is a good looking car to start off with. Aside from the re-worked front and rear bumpers my car sits on the optional forged 20” Classic rims - the standard items are 19” Dynamics which I think look just as good (and perhaps better to many who may see the Classics as a bit too retro/Halfords/old man-ish) though on a B3 are perhaps not quite as, err, classic. The look is completed by the Alpina-specific Alpina Blue metallic paint. No decals for me; partly because I don’t fancy working around them when polishing the car (cleaning the sodding wheels alone takes long enough) and partly because they’re a bit busy for my personal tastes. They can though easily be retrofitted and many purists who buy cars on the used market will do just that. You can if you wish customise the interior to your heart’s content with non standard options, including a full Lavalina leather interior if your constitution and wallet can handle the eye-watering premium. I believe Alpina will attempt to accommodate most requests, at a price. Mine is more boggo Bimmer on the inside, with the exception of some bespoke blue stitching to match the paint and liven up the black interior, a smattering of Alpina badges on the steering wheel, seats and trim and some Alpina-specific mats. Oh, and the production plaque on the centre console (#115, if you’re interested).
I love this car. For starters I love the way it looks. It’s not subtle. I know many prize Alpinas for their “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, under-the-radar qualities but whichever Alpina models that description might apply to, it does not apply to this car. One of my friends described it as looking “angry” from the front and certainly the 20” alloys, aggressive front bumper, rear diffuser and quad pipes will fool nobody who knows anything about cars into thinking this a 320d. Having said that, if you’re not into cars it looks like a blinged up but otherwise unremarkable 3-Series estate. It’s certainly nowhere near as, err, distinctive as the upcoming M3, which with its hugely flared arches and nostrils nobody is ever going to mistake for a cooking model. As such some might suggest it’s overpriced; it’s just a 3-series, after all. That’s certainly the biggest single knock I’ve read about against the brand and I won’t argue with it too much because from the perspective of a typical car guy who has no particular affinity with the brand it is true - objectively it is overpriced because at heart it is still “just” a 3-Series. On the other hand, my entirely biased view is that it’s the zenith of the 3-Series’ potential as a go anywhere, do anything road car and you’ll be paying ballpark money (though, admittedly less as Alpina are not known for doing discounts) if you want a car from another manufacturer that is as practical and (perhaps not quite!) as fast - think Audi RS4 or Merc AMG C63.
Though I’m not very far into the ownership experience - not even enough to put the loud pedal to the metal due to running in - it feels like the perfect blend of performance, practicality and comfort. The demo car’s throttle was treated with less respect than mine has been so far and it is ballistically fast (0-60 in 3.6s for those that care) but of course there are plenty of faster cars out there. Whilst it’s clearly no Rolls Royce, it rides ridiculously well for a car with this performance wearing 20” rims and 30 profile tyres. My current frame of reference is the wife’s longer wheelbase, built for comfort Audi A6; the Alpina easily matches it for ride comfort in its slackest damper setting whilst being infinitely more involving (and yes, an A6 is obviously setting a low bar for driver involvement, though it is otherwise a pretty likeable car, stupid bloody HVAC touchscreen aside). Being slightly smaller it’s not quite as practical but it will easily accommodate my family of four plus the paraphernalia that comes with two small kiddies. It would make an excellent airport taxi. I will aim to post my thoughts on the driving dynamics when I can fairly do so; however what is obvious even with only a handful of miles on the clock is that the body control exhibited by the car is phenomenal considering the comfort on offer.
The thing that is the icing on the cake for me is the feeling of being part of an exclusive club. Alpina make fewer than 1700 cars annually across the entire range and if you tally up every version of the previous generation F31 B3 and B3S they made just north of 700 Tourings worldwide across the 6 year production run. Of those, 12 are known to have come to the U.K. (though the true number may be a little bit higher) so if you wanted one you either had to buy new or wait a fair while for a suitably priced used example to come up for sale and then almost certainly compromise on colour/spec because they are genuinely rare beasts. I love the fact that I might drive this for the next 5 years and will most likely not see another G21 B3 on the road in all that time and there’s a chance that there may not be a single UK car produced in the same colour at all - though in reality I suspect Alpina Blue will be popular enough that eventually there may be a few doppelgängers of my car floating around the country.
This is my first Alpina and ultimately, cars like the B3 are about how they make you feel because you’re never going to be able to make a rational case for buying one, at least not new. This may be a practical family wagon (and will be used as such) but I’m under no illusion that any number of cars at less than half the price would have been far more rational choices. In fact, even the car that was donated to Alpina to be transformed into my car, the M340i, is a ridiculously good car, just as practical, looks almost identical, is 99% as fast in the real world and could be had new for not far off half the price. The Alpina is an entirely irrational, bordering on ridiculous purchase if you look at it that way. But then again when has passion for any diversion, hobby or personal interest been based strictly on logical criteria? This place would be far, far duller if car enthusiasm was grounded in utilitarianism and nothing else.
New car honeymoon caveat granted, the Alpina feels different to any other car I’ve ever owned. It feels special.
Alpina, purveyors of wine and formerly of typewriters also have a small side business of fettling and repurposing standard BMW’s. Their modus operandi is to produce cars that are rapid, comfortable cruisers with easily accessible power but which are also a good steer when the right road is in view. They have typically done this by taking a standard BMW and comprehensively upgrading its running gear. The majority of those upgrades are integrated into the BMW production line before the car is finished - mostly for reworking the interior - at their factory in Buchloe. If you want to trigger an Alpina aficionado, then call the company a tuner. In fact Alpina are a certified manufacturer in their own right; the changes they make are far more than skin deep and will typically involve every aspect of the drivetrain and suspension, as well as cosmetic enhancements. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle in that they’re clearly not a manufacturer in exactly the same way as BMW are since they don’t make the cars from scratch, but the key difference versus a tuning company is the aforementioned production line integration; the cars leave the factory as a BMW Alpina, not as a standard BMW which is subsequently modified after production is complete. This is why every Alpina has two VINs - the original number assigned to the donor chassis is subsequently crossed out and superseded by the number denoting its conversion. Furthermore Alpina engineers work closely with BMW, lending their expertise in the development of future BMW models. As has been remarked frequently elsewhere, the relationship between the two companies is somewhat unique in the industry.
I’ve wanted an Alpina since I was at school, so 20+ years ago now. I couldn't even tell you why exactly, though I have an idea. I always thought BMW’s were pretty cool and the E46 came out around the time and I loved the look of that car in all its flavours. As for Alpina? I’m a natural contrarian and an Alpina was and is a BMW, but just a bit different. Like many people interested in cars, I’ve always enjoyed spotting special and interesting vehicles whilst out and about and over the years the very, very infrequent times I’ve spotted the telltale alloy wheels or boot badges that indicate the car I’m looking at is not a standard Beemer have always piqued my interest and necessitated a second and a third glance. To me, they’re just cool. Some might think it’s just a Bimmer with a bodykit and some mods or even think it’s a BMW trim level but that’s part of the appeal. The small fraction of folk who recognise it for what it is will probably be car people. Everyone else will just drive on by.
As this is PH, many people reading this probably have some knowledge of the fundamentals of this car but for those who don’t a quick rundown. Alpina base this generation of B3 on the M340i, which means that the most obvious superficial change with the G21 over the F31 is that it looks more aggressive than the previous B3, which was based on the SE trimmed car. There is though an even bigger change under the bonnet in that this car is powered by a version of the S58 M division engine possessed by the upcoming G80/82 M3/4. Contrary to several erroneous reviews, this is not the first Alpina to be powered by a modified BMW Motorsport engine - the nearly 30 year-old B12 5.7 housed the S70B56 from the BMW 850CSi. Nevertheless it is true that Alpina have generally tended to take an engine from the regular, non-M BMW line up and upgrade that to improve performance. However, in this instance they have tweaked the S58 to produce less power than the M version of the engine (462hp) presumably so as not to show up the //Mothership. However, Alpina these days do not tend to produce cars with any kind of track pretensions, though they certainly have form for doing just that; the last such car being the E92 B3 GT3. Their mission, in the main, is to produce rapid cars that are comfortable on a run, easy to live with day-to-day and involving to drive but crucially, these are designed to be cars purely for the road. To that end, though power is down they’ve beefed up the torque - whilst replacing the turbos with smaller, more responsive units - to 700NM to make the shove provided as effortless as possible at the cost of drama at the top end of the rev range. Away from the engine bay they’ve replaced the springs and reprogrammed the dampers so their version of adaptive suspension includes an additional mode not present in the donor car and whereas BMW M have included a SPORT+ damper setting in the upcoming M3 - which I speculate a decent chunk of owners might deem unsuited to the average potholed road on the morning commute in this country - true to the Alpina way they’ve gone for a softer, more wallowy COMFORT+ setting suitable for long motorway cruises. The list of upgrades over the donor car continues with a new exhaust system; upgraded cooling; reprogrammed ZF8 ‘box; reprogrammed X-Drive AWD system as well as a stronger torque converter and driveshafts to cope with the extra grunt. The car has an LSD at the rear; the track is widened; there is more front camber dialled in and it has bespoke anti roll bars and bump stops. The tyres are bespoke to the car as are the wheels and the brakes. The front splitter and rear diffuser are new. The interior is re-upholstered and stitched even if you don't go for the full Lavalina options. The steering wheel and airbag cover is trimmed in Lavalina. I’ve certainly missed out some other upgrades and changes, but you get the idea. Alpina don’t do half measures.
Mind you, even if it were just an M340i wearing a different dress, it’s still a pretty nice dress. It helps that, to me at least, the G21 is a good looking car to start off with. Aside from the re-worked front and rear bumpers my car sits on the optional forged 20” Classic rims - the standard items are 19” Dynamics which I think look just as good (and perhaps better to many who may see the Classics as a bit too retro/Halfords/old man-ish) though on a B3 are perhaps not quite as, err, classic. The look is completed by the Alpina-specific Alpina Blue metallic paint. No decals for me; partly because I don’t fancy working around them when polishing the car (cleaning the sodding wheels alone takes long enough) and partly because they’re a bit busy for my personal tastes. They can though easily be retrofitted and many purists who buy cars on the used market will do just that. You can if you wish customise the interior to your heart’s content with non standard options, including a full Lavalina leather interior if your constitution and wallet can handle the eye-watering premium. I believe Alpina will attempt to accommodate most requests, at a price. Mine is more boggo Bimmer on the inside, with the exception of some bespoke blue stitching to match the paint and liven up the black interior, a smattering of Alpina badges on the steering wheel, seats and trim and some Alpina-specific mats. Oh, and the production plaque on the centre console (#115, if you’re interested).
I love this car. For starters I love the way it looks. It’s not subtle. I know many prize Alpinas for their “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, under-the-radar qualities but whichever Alpina models that description might apply to, it does not apply to this car. One of my friends described it as looking “angry” from the front and certainly the 20” alloys, aggressive front bumper, rear diffuser and quad pipes will fool nobody who knows anything about cars into thinking this a 320d. Having said that, if you’re not into cars it looks like a blinged up but otherwise unremarkable 3-Series estate. It’s certainly nowhere near as, err, distinctive as the upcoming M3, which with its hugely flared arches and nostrils nobody is ever going to mistake for a cooking model. As such some might suggest it’s overpriced; it’s just a 3-series, after all. That’s certainly the biggest single knock I’ve read about against the brand and I won’t argue with it too much because from the perspective of a typical car guy who has no particular affinity with the brand it is true - objectively it is overpriced because at heart it is still “just” a 3-Series. On the other hand, my entirely biased view is that it’s the zenith of the 3-Series’ potential as a go anywhere, do anything road car and you’ll be paying ballpark money (though, admittedly less as Alpina are not known for doing discounts) if you want a car from another manufacturer that is as practical and (perhaps not quite!) as fast - think Audi RS4 or Merc AMG C63.
Though I’m not very far into the ownership experience - not even enough to put the loud pedal to the metal due to running in - it feels like the perfect blend of performance, practicality and comfort. The demo car’s throttle was treated with less respect than mine has been so far and it is ballistically fast (0-60 in 3.6s for those that care) but of course there are plenty of faster cars out there. Whilst it’s clearly no Rolls Royce, it rides ridiculously well for a car with this performance wearing 20” rims and 30 profile tyres. My current frame of reference is the wife’s longer wheelbase, built for comfort Audi A6; the Alpina easily matches it for ride comfort in its slackest damper setting whilst being infinitely more involving (and yes, an A6 is obviously setting a low bar for driver involvement, though it is otherwise a pretty likeable car, stupid bloody HVAC touchscreen aside). Being slightly smaller it’s not quite as practical but it will easily accommodate my family of four plus the paraphernalia that comes with two small kiddies. It would make an excellent airport taxi. I will aim to post my thoughts on the driving dynamics when I can fairly do so; however what is obvious even with only a handful of miles on the clock is that the body control exhibited by the car is phenomenal considering the comfort on offer.
The thing that is the icing on the cake for me is the feeling of being part of an exclusive club. Alpina make fewer than 1700 cars annually across the entire range and if you tally up every version of the previous generation F31 B3 and B3S they made just north of 700 Tourings worldwide across the 6 year production run. Of those, 12 are known to have come to the U.K. (though the true number may be a little bit higher) so if you wanted one you either had to buy new or wait a fair while for a suitably priced used example to come up for sale and then almost certainly compromise on colour/spec because they are genuinely rare beasts. I love the fact that I might drive this for the next 5 years and will most likely not see another G21 B3 on the road in all that time and there’s a chance that there may not be a single UK car produced in the same colour at all - though in reality I suspect Alpina Blue will be popular enough that eventually there may be a few doppelgängers of my car floating around the country.
This is my first Alpina and ultimately, cars like the B3 are about how they make you feel because you’re never going to be able to make a rational case for buying one, at least not new. This may be a practical family wagon (and will be used as such) but I’m under no illusion that any number of cars at less than half the price would have been far more rational choices. In fact, even the car that was donated to Alpina to be transformed into my car, the M340i, is a ridiculously good car, just as practical, looks almost identical, is 99% as fast in the real world and could be had new for not far off half the price. The Alpina is an entirely irrational, bordering on ridiculous purchase if you look at it that way. But then again when has passion for any diversion, hobby or personal interest been based strictly on logical criteria? This place would be far, far duller if car enthusiasm was grounded in utilitarianism and nothing else.
New car honeymoon caveat granted, the Alpina feels different to any other car I’ve ever owned. It feels special.
That is a very nice car. But you don't need me to tell you that. I look forward to seeing how you get on with it in the months to come - the introduction was an enjoyable read, so you have definitely shared a little excitement!
GT principles and a relatively unassuming looking estate car tick all the boxes for me.
GT principles and a relatively unassuming looking estate car tick all the boxes for me.
Awesome and what a great write up! A few times i've had the day dream of specifying one from new as my do it all daily but the reality is it will never happen. I'm happy there are people out there doing it and being irrational, as you put it, otherwise they wouldnt exist!
Please keep the thread going and up to date as you get your use out of it!
Please keep the thread going and up to date as you get your use out of it!
Excellent write up and an interesting read. I feel similarly about Alpina and came close to ordering a B3 touring late last year. The car was wonderful on a test drive and Sytner Nottingham were very accommodating. In the end however I just couldn't justify to myself the cost for what is a 3 series, albeit a very special one. The fact that the finance packages available on Alpinas are not as tempting as regular BMWs didn't help either.
Enjoy though, it's a wonderful thing.
Enjoy though, it's a wonderful thing.
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