Alpina, which has been tuning BMW for years, has come up with a competitor for the new M5. It makes the same amount of power, hits 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and has a top speed of 195 mph – Alpina doesn’t believe in 155 mph limiters for their cars. As a result, he claims this is the fastest production sedan in the world, and not many people would argue with that.
The heart of the BMW Alpina B5, based on the 5 Series like the M5, is BMW’s 4.4-liter V-8. BMW’s M Division dispenses with turbos and superchargers. not alpine; They have adopted an engine-driven, centrifugal compressor to increase power throughout the speed range and produce the same power as the BMW V-10.
But the system has a neat twist. At idle and driving at low speed, the compressor does not work, so the fuel consumption is quite good. A throttle plate upstream of the supercharger turns it on and off depending on the load.
Mighty mighty with 500bhp
This is a very powerful engine; at 2,500 rpm it develops 200 bhp and goes up to 500 bhp at just 5,500 rpm, so the character of the engine is completely different from BMW’s V-10. Thanks to the supercharger, there’s massive torque across a wide range, with a maximum of 516 lb-ft available from 4250 to 5250 rpm – excellent mid-range power.
The engine runs through a ZF six-speed automatic transmission and the brakes, wheels and tires are all upgraded. Tires are Michelin Pilot Sport 2s, 245/40ZR 19 at the front and 275/35ZR 19 at the rear; they are a little narrower than those of the M5. The Alpina is also more than 200 lbs. lighter than the M5 at 3,790 lbs. Not a copy, a different approach to get similar performance. Do you prefer to rev at 8000 rpm or take a hard hit in the back at 4000-5500 rpm?
If you fancy something a little more agile, try the BMW Alpina B3 S Coupe. It’s powered by BMW’s six-cylinder in-line engine, bored out at 3.3 litres. It produces 305 hp at 6,300 rpm. Good for 168 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds. A true competitor for many sports cars.