Alpina automobiles aren’t normally thought of as drag strip champions. That’s quite a peculiar thing too, as Alpina started working with BMW as a motorsport partner, enhancing race cars before the M division even came to be. However, over time, the tuner which later became a manufacturer of its own with VIN numbers and everything, changed its approach to offer customers the ultimate combo in luxury and speed.
Cars like the Alpina B7 BiTurbo are the perfect example of how a proper, luxurious, land missile can come to be in this day and age. The B7 is basically a rocket, despite its massive hips and ample space inside. Under the hood hides a reworked version of the latest N63 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 tuned to make 608 PS and 800 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque. Those figures and the xDrive all-wheel drive system allow it to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds from standstill, turning it into a rapid machine.
In the video below we get to see it take on other, similarly fast machines on a drag strip. The Mercedes-AMG C63 S is one of those, coming with a 4-liter twin-turbo V8 and 510 PS as well as a 0-62 mph sprint which takes just 4 seconds. However, unlike the Alpina, the Merc will be disadvantaged here by the rear-wheel drive layout when launching. If it can get some grip though, it should be quite close to the B7 once it gets going, due to its lower weight.
Another rival we get to see at work here is a lot closer in terms of performance, as the Audi RS6 Avant comes with 560 HP out of its twin-turbo 4-liter V8 and, probably more important than that, all-wheel drive. That makes it capable of doing 62 mph from standstill in 3.9 seconds and that’s dangerously close to what the B7 claims. Could the Alpina keep up?
