Alpina, the storied and respected BMW tuner that’s known for somehow extracting more amazing-ness (for a lack of a better term) from Munich’s finest cars, whom through the In Motion Group will hopefully have their cars distributed in earnest across Australia, will be adding the B7 Bi-Turbo luxury performance saloon to their local portfolio.
Following the announcement that the B4 Bi-Turbo, which is based on the BMW 4 Series Coupe, and the B3 Bi-Turbo, which is based upon the BMW 3 Series sedan, the B7 adds a large and powerful luxury saloon to their growing line-up, having just passed the ADR (Australian Design Rule) homologation requirements.
Pricing, disappointingly, was not ready to be revealed during the unveil at Doncaster BMW in Melbourne, but should hover around the region of $400,000 as Alpina cars are generally a good amount more expensive than their BMW equivalents - a 750Li in this case.
Just like the other models in the Alpina stable, the 21-inch wheels are the first indicator that this is no ordinary machine. Other subtle hints come in the form of the mild but tastefully aggressive bodykit and quad oval exhaust pipes that point to its prowess as a long distance grand tourer rather than a surgically precise handful.
Under the bonnet we find what appears to be the same 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine as the G12 long wheelbase BMW 7 Series, however it has been thoroughly reworked by Alpina. The result is 117kW and 150Nm more than the 750Li at 447kW and 800Nm, good for a 4.7 second century sprint time, which is half a second quicker than the standard Bimmer.
To complement the extra legs, Alpina has in typical fashion also combed through the car’s suspension and steering to give it extra poise at high speed and front end bite, even if at the expense of some body flex upon initial turn in. Again, like the B4 and B3, this is meant to excel as a road car.
Inside, the B7 offers lucky owners a wealth of customisation and trim material options bespoke to the German tuning outfit as well as much of wide-ranging kit available for the 7 Series from BMW.
Orders for the B7 should already be open at authorised BMW dealers nationwide in spite of the pricing blind spot. Deliveries are expected to begin early 2017. In Motion Group had also planned to expand to diesel-powered models, but counted out the Alpina-fettled XD3 Biturbo (based off of the X3, by the way).
In terms of the recently announced 7th-generation G30 BMW 5 Series, the Australian distributor will be keeping a sharp eye for the eventual release of the Alpina-tuned version in order to pounce at local unit allocation as soon as they’re available next year.
For more on BMW vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
