The German motoring brand Alpina may be a name only familiar to dedicated car enthusiasts but many of us will have seen its vehicles on the roads.
That’s because Alpina is a luxury carmaker that uses modern BMWs as the foundation for its production cars. Its vehicles look almost identical to the mass-produced saloons and estates they’re based on. Only the white, blue and red badge and subtle bodywork tweaks set the Alpina apart from its BMW sibling.
The company has just announced a brand-new model, based on the latest generation BMW 5-Series estate. It’s called the B5 Bi-Turbo Touring.
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While Alpina has retained the basic proportions of the original BMW estate, subtle changes have been made to the bodywork. The car has a new front bumper, multi-spoke wheels and quad-exhaust outlets at the rear end.
The marque has also tweaked the donor car’s 4.4-litre bi-turbo V8 engine, which can be seen in BMW’s range-topping M550i model, upping the power output from 495bhp to 600bhp.
Power is sent to all-four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, helping the estate go from 0-60mph in a supercar-rivalling 3.4secs and on to a top speed of 200mph. According to Alpina, these figures make it the “world’s fastest production estate”.
Alpina’s refinements continue on the inside, with Nappa leather throughout and blue mood lighting. There’s also a range of customisable trim colours and wood finishes for those looking for a more personalised cabin.
Buyers have two exterior colours to choose from, Alpina Blue and Alpina Green, along with the full range of paint options offered by BMW.
Orders for the Bi-Turbo Touring are open now, with prices starting at £91,000. A saloon variant is also available at £89,000.
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