ALPINA B7 TURBO(e-12)

You are looking at the world´s fastest 4-door car when it was introduced at the IAA 1978. It´s still very fast by today´s standards. The 3,0 litre turbocharged engine may not be as powerful as the engine behind it on the picture but 300 bhp satisfies most needs concerning power. At first the car was called 530 Turbo but Alpina soon changed the name to B7 Turbo. Between December 1978 and February 1982 a total of 149 cars were made.

Engine/Gearbox

The engine is based on BMW´s 3,0 litre six. But it´s not much left of the standard engine. Alpina have fitted a KKK(Kühnle, Kopp und Kausch)27 turbocharger with a maximum boost of 0,85 bar. But the boost is variable between 0,55 bar and 0,85 bar, which means, in terms of power, between 250 bhp and 300 bhp. They have also fitted a intercooler, which is located behind the right pair of headlamps. A new injection-system, made by Zentih-Pierburg-DL, a new Dr. Hartig ignition system, lower-compression forged pistons and new valves are also fitted. The power is up to 300 bhp and the torque has increased to 462 Nm. To handle the greater power Alpina have fitted a 5-speed Getrag gearbox.

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels

The suspension is uprated with Bilstein spring units, progressive springs, and adjustable stabilizers. The original brakes are replaced by new, bigger discs, ventilated all-around. The Alpina alloys are 16in high with 205/55 tires at front and 225/50 at rear.

Interior/Exterior

Inside, the seats are replaced by deeply-contoured items, which is manufactured to Alpina´s specifications by Scheel. All instruments have been replaced with special Alpina gagues, which have red needles. There are also gauges for turbo boost level, oil pressure and oil temperature. Other changes are leather covered steering-wheel, the shift knob, a left foot dead pedal and the Alpina variable boost control located between the front seats. The visual changes are not many. The B7 had Alpina´s striping, but that was a no-cost option, front and rear spoilers and, of course, Alpina wheels. The B7 is also little lower than a standard 5-series, due to the revised suspension.

Performance

As I said before, the B7 Turbo is a very fast car, even by today´s standards. In Auto Motor und Sport´s test, the B7 accelerated from 0-100 km/h in 6,1 seconds, 0-160 km/h in 13,8, 0-200 km/h in 23,6 and had a top speed of 250 km/h. Even a BMW M5 3,8 will have problems to outrun it.

Pictures