Alpina is about to go through a period of serious change, as the factory winds down and the name is folded into the BMW Group chain of command in full. But it isn’t going out quietly. Just look at this brute in a suit, the new Alpina B5 GT, packing no less than 635PS (467kW).
The 635PS Alpina B5 S is the fast wagon final boss
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That’s courtesy of an uprated version of the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 found in the already extraordinary Alpina B5. Upgrades include an ECU tune and intake, for a figure to rival the mighty BMW M5 CS. Performance is fairly serious as you’d expect, with 0-62mph coming up in 3.4 seconds for the saloon and 3.6 seconds for the Touring.
Both will crack the double tonne on a bow wave of howling V8 soul. Chassis enhancements are minor, with stiffening up front for improved steering feel, a slight drop in ride height and lighter, more heat-resistant braking hardware.
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Alpina is generally all about subtlety where M is more in your face, so the visual enhancements are deftly applied here. Aside from badging, you get ‘B5 GT’ on the 20-inch wheels, there’s also a subtle splitter with canards. At the back there’s a lip for the saloon and a small stylised diffuser for both variants.
Just 250 of these are to be made, with the Touring and saloon split undefined, this is surely to be a modern classic from the word go. If you want the M3 Touring but can’t get over the nutcracker seats and that schnoz, one of these could be well worth a look…
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