ALPINA B12 5,0(e-31)

In 1990 BMW presented the 850i. It was the successor to the 6-series, but the 8-series turned out to be a large and heavy Gran Turismo instead of a sports coupe. The V12 powered 850i was, and still is, a very fast car but it wasn´t as much fun to drive as it´s predecessor. If you wanted a more fun and even faster 850i you would have to go for this car. The Alpina B12 5,0 Coupé. It came in 1991 and has the same engine as the B12 5,0 Limousine. A total of 97 cars were built.

Engine/Gearbox

The engine is based on BMW´s 5,0 litre V12 unit. Alpina have kept the displacement at 5 litre but modified a lot of other things in the engine. Go to the B12 section in the 7-series page to read more about the engine. The power output is 350 bhp and 470 Nm of torque. The engine is connected to a 4-speed automatic gearbox.

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels

The suspension has shorter and stiffer springs and gas-pressure dampers. The wheels are 18in high with 245/40 tires at front and 285/35 tires at rear.

Interior/Exterior

The interior changes include a new leather-covered 3-spoke steering-wheel, a gearknob made of leather, Nappa leather sportseats in Alpina design and new instruments with blue background and red needles. The only exterior changes are the wheels, a new front-spoiler, the badges and the exhaust pipes.

Performance

Alpina claimed a 0-100 km/h time of 6,8 seconds and a top speed of over 280 km/h. In Auto Motor und Sport´s test the B12 accelerated from 0-100 km/h in 7,0 seconds, 0-160 km/h in 15,0 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 23,0 seconds and had a top speed of 283 km/h.

Pictures