For years, fanatics and some buyers sought a reply from BMW regarding a model breathed upon by BMW M that’s aimed at the S63/S65 AMG and Audi S8 Plus. BMW looks to be uninterested.
Barely weeks after BMW South Africa began selling the all-new BMW 7 Series – the most advanced BMW ever, BMW of North America has primed the interest with the announcement that an ALPINA B7, the third iteration of what the brand’s rebellious following dubs its very own M7, will be available from September 2016 onwards at selected dealerships.
Apart from unique exterior appearance, described by Alpina as ‘Athletic and Elegant, the B7 is said to feature a lot of skin-deep modification but the looks beg to be explained first. As is natural for Alpina BMWs, the car gains redesigned bumpers, slated with reducing lift around the front and rear axle areas. The same front piece also allows the unrestricted flow of incoming air for a new high-performance cooling system, including an integrated air-flap hidden behind the iconic kidney grille.
At the four corners the B7 is fitted with 20 inches of ALPINA CLASSIC wheels while the car is coated with special paint finishes, including the fabled Blue metallic. A sports exhaust system ending with a pair of elliptical tailpipes protrudes from the rear apron with focused attention to exude elegance with an equal amount of aggression. Open any of the wide doors and the overpowering ambience of the new BMW 7 greets back. Alpina enhances the already well thought out interior with its own touches here and there such as the sports steering wheel with blue and green stitching and Piano lacquer or classic Myrtle Luxury Wood – all which are ALPINA interior trim. Expect a few B7 model inscriptions too.
From a technical aspect Alpina gets to work on the standard car’s twin-turbo V8, enriching the motor with the usual treatment of ironing out kinks – free flowing the air-intakes. Two specially developed turbochargers with enlarged inlet and outlet diameters have been incorporated to feed air to special Mahle pistons ignited by NGK spark plugs. Boost pressure of the chargers is now 20 psi with and a compression ratio of 10.0:1.
The standard BMW 750i motor has 331kW but after Alpina works on the car it develops 447kW between 5750 rpm and 6250 rpm while the maximum torque of 800Nm is available from 3000 rpm. Alpina reckons the hulking limo will now dash from 0-100km/h is 3,6 seconds and reach a 310 km/h top speed.
To hold it all together is beefed up chassis and suspension bits such as specific Alpina suspension geometry that also drops the ride by 2 centimeters – really insignificant in our view – considering that Alpina already works on a set of BMW parameters. However the x-Drive fitted B7 gets special Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber for agility.
All in all we gather the B7 will remain largely cushy and advanced as created by BMW with just those few elements, such as deeper exhaust throat, a flamboyant exterior and the higher speeds attained through the myriad technical enhancements separating it from the standard car. We are certain that Alpina will leave it looking quite tasty and reliable and we hope, to a certain degree that those looking for the fabled M7 will be pleased.
ZA Top Range