ALPINA B3 Classic Cars for Sale

There is no getting away from the fact that, to the man in the street, the Alpina-B3 appears to be yet another special version of the BMW 3 Series but it is not widely realised that Alpina are far from simply being a supplier of tuning accessories and are car manufacturers in their own right. The Alpina brand is of course closely associated with BMW and its cars are mainly produced on the BMW production lines.

The History of the Alpina-B3 Models

The Alpina name came to prominence in the world of motorsport in the 1960s and 70s with Alpinas having many successes including the Spa 24 Hours and the European Touring Car Championship but it was not until 1987 that Alpina started to produce its own version of the BMW 3 series and the rest is history!

Alpina-B3 Models

The first of these models was the Alpina B3 2,7 based on the E30 325i featuring styling modifications and engine tuning to produce 201 bhp. The arrival of BMW's E36 car prompted Alpina to update their own model and 1993 saw the arrival of the 247 bhp Alpina 3,0 which, three years later, was further developed to the 261 bhp Alpina B3 3,2 based on the 328i. 1999 produced the E46 based B3 3,3 followed by the B3 3,3 ALLRAD which was produced until 2005. The next versions of the Alpina B3 were based on the E90/91/92 platform being the 335 bhp B3 Bi-Turbo/Bi-Turbo ALLRAD. A special limited edition model was produced in 2011, the Alpina B3 GT3 producing over 400 bhp and suitably adorned with special livery, wings and spoilers. The 2013 Alpina B3 Bi-Turbo also had over 400 bhp on tap coupled to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. This car offered true supercar performance with a top speed of 190 mph and 0-62mph acceleration time of 4.2 seconds.

The Alpina-B3's closest rival must be BMW's own performance "M" series cars but Alpinas offer much more than distinctive wheels and badges. They have been designed to add a touch of luxury to a car with performance and handling tuned to perfection. They may seem rather expensive in comparison to some of their rivals but offer a certain exclusivity likely to ensure that Alpinas will always be regarded as highly sought-after classic cars, especially among fans of German engineering.