Forget about waiting for the new BMW M3 to come along, as the latest Alpina B3 Saloon gives you all you'll need, and you can also have it in estate form as the B3 Touring. In typical Alpina fashion, the exterior styling remains discreet - you won't find any power dome bonnets or different door mirrors here. The lower front bumper section is enlarged to help the engine keep its cool, and at the rear, the bootlid gains a small spoiler to add stability at higher speeds. Smoked tail light lenses and a four-tip exhaust system round off the back of the car.
It gets its power from a 3.0-litre BiTurbo straight six-cylinder engine that Alpina's engineers have pored over to bump the power output up to 463hp and 700Nm of torque. The turbine housings are optimised for better flow and alterations to the air intake system aids performance to ensure better responsiveness. That is coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission and Alpina-specific all-wheel drive based on BMW's xDrive system. That gets a traction-optimised adjustment provides a predominantly rear-bias for torque distribution.
The numbers are impressive, with a top speed of 303km/h and a 0-100km/h sprint taking just 3.8 seconds. The Touring is only a tenth of a second slower to the 100km/h mark too. Its stainless steel exhaust features adjustable valves that allow the driver to control the sound, making it more discreet in Comfort mode or noticeably louder in Sport mode. This system also uses petrol particulate filters to reduce emission values.
Bespoke interior design
In comparison to the standard BMW 3 Series, the interior of the Alpina B3 is mostly unchanged. The company does offer unique upholstery designs on the seats, and any BMW badging is replaced with the Alpina logo. There's also a neat plaque on the centre console with the model designation on it. The eagle-eyed read will also spot that the Eco Pro mode button has been removed because this is an Alpina and going fast is what it's all about.