Geneva Salon 2004, premiere of the BMW M6
Page Two: Alpina B5 Limousine, B5 Touring and B7
Please read about our coverage of Alpina from the Frankfurt Salon 2003 here and the 2004 Geneva Salon here. New for this year was the launch of the Alpina B5, a more comfort oriented alternative to the BMW M5. This car has the engine from the 7-series based Alpina B7 which has a supercharged 4,4 liter V8 producing 500 HP and a torque of 700 Nm.
The Alpina B5 is an entirely different concept than the M5 but with similar performance. Since BMW Alpina is not bound by the 250 km/h contract the Alpina B5 is according to Alpinas own brochures the fastest 4-door car in the world doing an impressive 314 km/h in top speed. The B5 is only available in with Switch-Tronic automatic. It is also available in Touring version and is then limited to a top speed of 300 km/h. This is because of the shape of the Touring permits it of travelling faster than 300 km/h as safe as the B5 Limousine.
Alpina B5 Touring Alpina Blue with Silver deco-set and Blue Lavalina leather with Dakota leather
The Alpina Blue B5 Touring has the silver Alpina deco-set.
The B5 Touring reached 100 km/h in 4,9 s compared to the B5 Limousine that reaches it in 4,7 s. The B5 has a 6-speed ZF automatic gearbox.
The classic Alpina 20 spokes wheels still looks very good. Alpina has been very true to their heritage for over 30 years. The B5 stops from 200 km/h in 5,5 s which is a distance just over 300 m. The brake discs are 374 mm in front and 370 mm in the rear. The brakes are from the BMW 760Li.
Traditional twin exhaust pipes even on the B5 Touring. Alpina has received alot of demands for quad exhaust pipes from customers but such kind of modification cannot be justified on a technological nor economical basis.
The B5 Touring's interiour is in blue and white leather with the blue parts in the exclusive Lavalina leather and the seating surfaces in BMW Dakota leather. Price is around €7000 for this leather combination and roughly €9000 for a complete interiour in Alpina Lavalina leather.
The + and - signs on the steerign wheel indicates on which side you shift gears for the Shift-Tronic. No M Mode buton here and no Launch Control either.
Notice the white stitching on the blue leather and the Dakota BMW leather in white. Leather Dakota in Alpina design (with Alpina emblems on the seats) is standard for the B5.
Alpina wood "Myrtle" is standard for the Alpina B5 and B7.
Alpina dials in typical Alpina dark blue background with the font for the instruments that was introduced with the Alpina B3 3,3. See below for a comparison with the M5 dials.
The Alpina B5 has a surprisingly low rev-limiter if you are used to M cars and the high-revving concept. However with a fundamentaly different engine concept. Notice that it is the first time that Alpina exchanges the fuel consumption meter below the rev-limiter to a engine oil temperature dial. This procedure har BMW M done since the first generation E30 M3. On the M635 CSi and the first generation M5 E28 the "econometer" was simply removed and no other dial there. BMW M or Alpina owners should not have to worry about fuel consumption even though the B5 is almost as frugal as the 545i if driven carefully.
You will never find carbon panels in Alpina cars. You will always find leather and exclusive wood materials.
Alpina have always cared for the details. Notice the silver Alpina emblem and the attention to detail. The picture of the gold Alpina logo highest up on this page is found on the decor wood panel on the center console in every Alpina.
A radial compressor delivers the boost pressure that is belt driven by the crankshaft. The radial compressor never stops spinning so there is minimal time lag when power is required. At 2500 rpm the engien has only 200 HP and at these partial loads on the engine the engine works as if it were normally aspirated using the full functionality ofthe Valvetronic engine along with a modest fule-consumption. At 5500 rpm there is 500 HP up to 6000 rpm. Between 4250 rpm and 5250 rpm a torque of 700 Nm is acessable.
Notice the huge radiator that Alpina manage to hide discreetely behind the front.
The rear differential looks familiar, could be the same as the M5 and M6.
BMW Alpina B5 Limousine in Alpina blue and Alpina silver decoset with Alpina Lavalina exclusive leather in bicolour
Quote from official brochure:
ALPINA presents the new BMW ALPINA B5 at the Geneva Salon, an automoile with 500 HP, maximum torque of 700 Nm and a top speed of 314 km/h -the fastest production saloon in the world
End of quote.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres does not have a problem of withstanding speeds well over 300 km/h real speed. 245/40 ZR19 in front and 275/35 ZR19. Slightly higher diameter on the tyres is for added comfort.
Silver deco-set on Alpina Blue. An Alpina can be ordered in any colour that BMW or BMW Individual offers as well as Alpina Blue and Alpina Green.
The Z4-based BMW Alpina Roadster S can be spotted in the background.
BMW Alpina B5 Limousine in Alpina blue and Alpina silver decoset with Alpina Lavalina exclusive leather in bicolour
100% Alpina.
The Alpina B5 Limousine and the B5 Limousine. Standard equipment on the B5 is for example:
- Alarm system
- Heated exterior mirrors
- White indicators
- Alpina Deco-set on request
- DSCIII incl. DBC
- Luxury Wood "Myrtle"
- Entry sills with Alpan logo
- Crusie control
- Alpina rear spoiler
- 10 loudspeakers
- Anti-dazzle function on all mirrors
- Air conditioning
- Alpina leather steering wheel
- Metallic
- Navigation Proffesional
- Self levelling rear suspension on the B5 Touring
- PDC
- Leather interior Dakota in Alpina design
- RDC (Flat tyre indicator)
- Rain sensor for wipers
- Headlight washer system
- Servotronic
- Sports seats
- Seat heating
- Electrical seats
- Voice control activation system
- Xenon
The Alpina rear spoiler is unique for the B5. In the background you can spot the Roadster S Alpina Dynamic wheel.
Here is the steering wheel. Norice the incredible attention to detail with colourmatched threads on the button as well as the steering wheel, matching the rest of the interiour.
Bicoloured leather and "Myrte" wood panels.
The bicoulored interiour in Alpina Lavalina leather on all surfaces is around €9000 compared to €7000 for partial Alpina Lavalina interiour as seen on the B5 Touring.
Contrasting coloured leather in highest quality including the inside of the rear armrest for the backseat passengers. Notice the Alpina logos on all seats.
Drink holders.
Complete leather including the back of the front seats.
Switch-Tronic and the B5 is only available in automatic. However the high-torque supercharged engine seems to be best matched for the car.
The facelifted Alpina B7 in Alpinablue with silver deco-set
The B7 is the first BMW to be offered by Alpina within a month of the release of a facelift. As you see above the facelift incorporates new front and rear lights as well as a redesigned diffuser.
However, despite the controversioal design of the base car, the 7-series E65, the BMW Alpina B7 have sold over 200 examples since the introduction in the spring of 2004 and 160 cars have been delivered. The predecessor the B12 5,7 and B12 6,0 sold in total of 296 between December 1995 and July 2001. Of these were 202 B12 5,7 and 94 of the B12 6,0. The B12 6,0 had 430 HP V-12 and 600 Nm of torque from this normally aspirted 750i based engine.
A more discreet look that goes better with the traditional BMW designs.
The Alpina Blue is unmistakebly a deep and rich colour that have been offered for over 25 years and is still todayone of the most beautiful colous there is for BMW Alpinas. Timeless.
The new headlights are sleeker and less pronounces "eyebrows".
The B-pillar with B7 logo. The E39 5-series based B10 V8 and B10 V8S had also this logo on the B-pillar.
The steering wheel of the B7 with Alpina Green threads from 3'oclock to 9 o'clock and Alpina Blue from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock. To be continued with a report from Koenigsegg, Brabus, Bentley, Pagani, Maybach and more...
Comments to gustav@bmwm5.com
A look back: Geneva Salon 2005: Premiere of the BMW Alpina B5
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