Alpina B12 5.7

[CarlT]

Hi Everyone

I'm new to this board and have very limited experience regarding Alpina in general. I considering the purchase of the above mentioned car and need some help...

I have a couple of questions regarding this Alpina model, and I was hoping someone out there has some more information.

Where all of them fully optioned, or was every option added individually?

Was the stitching in the seats optional?

Why doesn't the it have the CSi bumpers and mirrors? (Beside the fact that they are big and ugly)

Are the brakes and suspension the same as the CSi?

Does it also have the 4 wheels steering as the CSi?

Can parts be ordered through all BMW stores, or only partners? I'll be importing the car to the US and this might be an issue as Alpinas are not sold in the US.


If anyone has additional information regarding this model, I would greatly appreciate it.

Regards
Carl

[NRL BITURBO]

.... Have a look at http://www.users.wineasy.se/aahl/8-series.htm which will answer some of your questions, I think.

Regards,

Neil

[CarlT]

Thanks Neil

Already been there. It's a great site for Alpina information. I'm getting some more information from Alpina regarding this model shortly. Thanks B8Guru for helping me out!

How are you liking your B10 Neil?

Regards
Carl

[This message has been edited by CarlT (edited 26 December 2000).]

[Gustav]

Originally posted by CarlT:
Hi Everyone

I'm new to this board and have very limited experience regarding Alpina in general. I considering the purchase of the above mentioned car and need some help...

I have a couple of questions regarding this Alpina model, and I was hoping someone out there has some more information.

Where all of them fully optioned, or was every option added individually?

I think Almost everything came as standardon the the B12 5,7.

Was the stitching in the seats optional?

That is the Alpina Wasserbuffel" leather, which I beleive was standard.

Why doesn't the it have the CSi bumpers and mirrors? (Beside the fact that they are big and ugly)

It has!

Are the brakes and suspension the same as the CSi?

Yes.

Does it also have the 4 wheels steering as the CSi?

Can parts be ordered through all BMW stores, or only partners? I'll be importing the car to the US and this might be an issue as Alpinas are not sold in the US.

Don't know the procedure in the US.


If anyone has additional information regarding this model, I would greatly appreciate it.

Regards
Carl

[CarlT]

Hei Gustav

I've leaned a bit more regarding the B12 5.7 Coupe since my initial posting, including the fact that good ones are hard to come by...

The seat stitching was optional, as was Buffalo leather.

The front springs where changed.

The CSi Mirrors where optional.

The Alpina “strips” where optional.

The 4 Wheels Steering was present, but modified to accommodate the 18' wheels.

Parts are easily ordered directly from Alpina at lower prices.

They where available with Alpina's Switchtronic semi-automatic transmission as an option. This was a Dry clutch system similar to Citroens' used on the DS. Not as BMWs Steptronic that has a torque converter.

5.7 have an overheating problem in city traffic, according to some sources.

Regards
Carl


[This message has been edited by CarlT (edited 26 December 2000).]

[Mr Janne]

Hello,

I just looked at Alpina´s first factfile for the B12 5,7, printed september 1992.

Included in standard equipment is Leather upholstery "water buffalo in Alpina design. The instrument panel and door covering with leather water buffalo/walk-nappa.

The stripes is a no-cost option as always, available in gold or silver.

As an option the B12 was available with the Shift-tronic system, not to be mixed-up with switch-tronic. Shift-tronic is a electronic clutch management system.

[CarlT]

Hi Janne

Thanks, Shift-tronic I always mix those two. Do you know anything else regarding this system? Was it troublesome since Alpina has dropped it since?

Buffalo was standard, thanks for the input. Do you know if this was the case with the 5.0 as well? Was the whole dash covered, like some of the E34 M5?

Regards
Carl

[NRL BITURBO]

Carl,

In simple terms ....... its great!!! Collosal performance, gargantulan torque .... no stripes and debadged, so I can surprise quite a few unsupecting drivers who think that it is 'just a 5 Series'.

Regards,

Neil

Originally posted by CarlT:
[b]How are you liking your B10 Neil?

[Club E31]

Tried it

It sounds like a ferrari with the outstanding style of the 850

Really a bad car =;0)

I've several infos / photos on my website and members who got the 5.7l

Go on www.clube31.com --> international --> Tuning ---> Alpina ---> ENJOY


------------------
www.clube31.com
clube31@wanadoo.fr

[CarlT]

Hi

Maybe I'm blind, but I didn't see any members that had any 5.7s. There was a 5.0.

Regards
Carl

Originally posted by Club E31:


I've several infos / photos on my website and members who got the 5.7l

[Mr Janne]

Hi Carl,

Regarding the Shift-tronic I haven´t heard of any particular faults but since Alpina removed this option I guess it wasn´t really successful. It was pretty expensive too, 10000DM. But the first owners probably could afford it, after all the price of the car was 268500DM.

The B12 5,0 costed 222000DM the same year but if you wanted the all-leather, including dashboard, "Wasserbüffel" in Alpina design you had to pay another 13320DM. That upholstery was standard in the 5,7. You also had to pay 3000DM for the woodinterior "Rüster Maser", which also was standard in the 5,7. So I guess the 5,7 wasn´t much more expensive after all.

I saw that Rüdiger Faltz had a B12 5,7 for sale, look at www.mobile.de

Best Regards,

Janne

[CarlT]

Hej Janne

Thanks for the extra info! The more I know the better. I've been told that the B12 at Faltz is pretty trashed, so I'll pass on that one...

At first I thought it was weird that Alpina offered both the 5.0 and 5.7, but since the 5.0 was only offered as an automatic and the 5.7 only as a manual or Shift-tronic, It made sense. The majority of 8 buyers wanted Auto.

Regards
Carl