Eager to feast your eyes on a pair of ultra-exclusive BMWs that likely won?t ever set a tire on American pavement" From the 2017 Geneva auto show, we bring you the newest Alpina B5 Biturbo models based on the new 5-series sedan (which we do get in the U.S.) and the Touring wagon (which we don?t). Each B5 incorporates the usual rash of Alpina upgrades, including a stonkin? twin-turbocharged V-8 and the BMW outfitter?s signature 20-spoke wheels.
The Alpina-modified 4.4-liter V-8 is really the star of the show here. It?s essentially the same engine that, installed in the 7-series-based Alpina B7 sedan it offers in the U.S., made the nearly 5000-pound four-door the quickest dealership-sold BMW we?ve ever tested. Considering that the V-8 puts down 600 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, the B7?s feat seems almost inevitable. The 144-hp disparity between the Alpina V-8 and BMW?s stock unit in the M550i can be chalked up to the former?s new turbochargers, Mahle pistons, intake design, and computer tuning.
In the B5s, the V-8 distributes power to all four wheels using the same ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission, and Alpina estimates that the B5 sedan can hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. (Tack on an additional 0.1 second for the B5 Touring.) The B7 we tested did the deed in 3.4 seconds, so we’re thinking Alpina?s performance estimates for these lighter B5s are conservative. More believable, if you can believe it, are Alpina?s claims that the B5 sedan can do 205 ...