BMW ALPINA B8 4.6
An automobile for gourmets – the BMW ALPINA B8 4.6
ALPINA presented a sensation in 1996: For the first time in a 3 Series body, ALPINA managed to integrate an eight-cylinder engine – the BMW ALPINA B8 4.6. Thanks to 245 kW / 333 hp combined with a 6-speed manual transmission, the powertrain ensures effortless acceleration – regardless of the speed range. The other performance figures are also impressive: the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h is achieved in 5.6 seconds. The top speed is over 280 km/h. A power-to-weight ratio of 4.5 kg/hp identifies the car as a thoroughbred sports car.
The BMW ALPINA B8 4.6 was available in four versions: saloon, coupé, convertible, and touring. The development of this fascinating automobile is due to a bet between Wolfgang Reitzle (then BMW Head of Development) and Burkard Bovensiepen: Reitzle bet that ALPINA wouldn’t be able to find room for the eight-cylinder engine in the small engine compartment of the 3 Series. Ultimately, both were right: 42 modifications to the body and an installation from above were necessary to achieve the desired result. An effort that could not have been accomplished on the BMW assembly line.
In addition to the major changes to the engine, the suspension and brakes were also adapted to the significantly increased power: The BMW ALPINA B8 4.6 received Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs and a two-piston caliper brake from LUCAS on the front axle with a diameter of 326 millimeters. The ASC+T system (Automatic Stability Control + Traction) was standard equipment. The philosophy then as now: to drive the car relaxed on long journeys while always maintaining a reassuring feeling of high safety reserves. The enlarged 95-liter fuel tank in the rear of the BMW ALPINA B8 4.6 increases the range.
The interior details are also exclusive: a silver-plated production plaque, a distinctive interior in anthracite with subtle stripes in the typical ALPINA colors of blue/green (an ALPINA water buffalo leather interior was also available as an option), complemented by elegant burr wood trim.
The prices for the BMW ALPINA B8 4.6 ranged from 122,000 German marks for the sedan to 139,500 German marks for the convertible. “As an automotive connoisseur, you shouldn’t miss a test drive of the BMW ALPINA B8 4.6 – there’s nothing quite like it.” – as it aptly states in the original brochure.
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