ALPINA did not waste any time in upgrading the BMW 5 Series as even the first-generation sedan received special treatment from Buchloe. One of the rarest iterations of the E12 was the B7S Turbo of which just 60 units were ever manufactured between November 1981 and May 1982. Hands down among the most desirable 5 Series model ever made; the sports saloon has been dusted off by ALPINA for a new photo gallery.
While the non-S variant used a 3.0-liter engine, the hotter derivative switched to a larger 3.5-liter mill and got a KKK K27 turbocharger. The hardware changes applied to the 3.0-liter engine were carried over, helping the inline-six push out a respectable 330 horsepower and 500 Newton-meters (369 pound-feet) of torque. That might not seem much by 2023 standards, but keep in mind the B7S Turbo came out over 40 years ago.
One of the fastest sedans of the 1980s, ALPINA’s amped-up E12 needed just under six seconds to complete the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint and topped out at 162 mph (261 km/h). It did away with the original Getrag gearbox in favor of a five-speed ZF developed for the 745i that was able to better cope with the added oomph.
With this example belonging to ALPINA, it comes as no surprise it’s a veritable time capsule. It looks as if it just rolled off the production line, pinstripes and all. When it came out, it was claimed to be the fastest four-door car in the world. The imagery was released on the occasion of the media test drives of the B5 GT, the last hurrah for the previous-generation 5 Series (G30) and ALPINA’s most powerful road car ever.
It’s unclear whether there will be an ALPINA version of the new 5 Series (G60) as parent company BMW wants to take the newly acquired brand upmarket and bridge the gap between its most expensive models and the entry-level Rolls-Royce models. With that in mind, chances are the focus will be on lavishly equipped variants of the 7 Series and X7.
[Photos: ALPINA]
