Deco-Set or Not?

[Dirim]

Hello All,
I would like to now what do you think about the Deco-Sets (aka Alpina stripes). Do you find them an old fashioned habit that must go, or part of the Alpina tradition that must stay? In your opnion, do they look as good on E-39 as they did on E-28? If you were buying a new Alpina or re-painting the old one, would you have them put on?
Regards,

Ufuk

[alpina andrew]

I would definetly not have either gold or silver deco stripes on the side of the car. I would however have the silver deco on the front, simply so people could see it was an alpina from the front. My B10 V8 has neither however, as i bought it second-hand.

[CarlT]

Hi Dirim

I guess that depends if you like them or not... Alpina offers them as a no cost option when you order a new car, yes even today. So I guess they are as much of the Alpina heritage as the wheels. I personally don't mind them. But if you want to keep the car as original as possible, keep it as the original owner bought it. But this is of course totally up to your personal preference.

Regards
Carl

[Dirim]

Thanks for the replies. I know that it's no cost option (you'd be surprised to see how much it costs for an existing car, on the other hand) and it's a personal taste, etc. I just wanted to know your personal taste as an Alpina owner. Would you want it on your car or not?

Best Regards,

Ufuk

[alpina andrew]

How much is it to fit to a second hand car?

[Dirim]

For the B10 BiTurbo, it is about 200 DM for the front spoiler or about 500 DM for the whole car. If you get the dealer to put it on for you, I estimate it to be roughly another 300 DM (Alpina catalogue says its 3hrs work which is about 9 DM per work unit (5 mins) for labour).

Ufuk

[CarlT]

Hi Dirim

So I guess this is more of a Poll question, Yes or No to the Deco set? In that case, I would order my Alpina with the Deco Set. I think cars like the B10 BT looks stunning with the full Deco Set.

Regards
Carl

[Danish]

I agree with Carl, but it took me about one year to really appreciate the Deko set.
Most of you have probably seen the pictures of my cars under "owners gallery" and noticed that the Coupe has no stripes where the Touring has the full treatment.

I have come to the conclusion that Alpina cars are so subtle to begin with (only a true enthusiast will be able to tell from the outside that my B8 4.6 Coupe isn't a 328 Coupe) that it becomes a certain "trademark" by which you can recognise the car.

And once you have driven an Alpina you will wish that it was easier to recognise the performance level from the outside.

Here in Germany people turn their heads when they see an Alpina with the Deko set, but without stripes it disappers in the masses of BMW's so to speak :-)

Another issue is that the stripes tend to wear off after some years (due to high pressure water in some car washes) and that they are a pain in the neck when polishing/waxing the car.

And because I think it is very important to wax the car regularly I think I am going to remove the Deko set on sides and rear of the Touring. (Sorry Gustav!). The stripes on the spoiler are going to stay. And I am going to buy a new front spoiler (the current one is a little worn) for the Coupe with Deko set in gold.

Michael

[NRL BITURBO]

.... My B10 Bi-Turbo was specified when new without stripes (by its first owner). In fact it also shows no badges at all either front or rear. I am quite happy with this 'look' - people who know Alpinas will soon spot the signs, those that do not know ... well they don't need to know do they. 'Stealth' is what I have nicknamed my car. It also doesn't attract too much attention from those undesirable elements of our society. (The same can't be said for my highly modified, bright yellow special edition Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione, though - it is rather 'obvious' and certainly doesn't blend into the background).

Woe betide those who think my Alpina it is an 'ordinary' 5 series Bimmer - they soon learn ..... when they see my bootlid rapidly disappearing into the distance.

If I was to buy a new Alpina for myself today, I would probably specify it with the stripes.

Regards,

Neil

[Dirim]

Sounds like we Alpina owners like our "stripes" although we may choose to not have them for disguise! Do you think this is an acquired taste or love at first sight? What does your friends, spouse, etc think? Do they comment? I personally like them more as the Alpina model gets older. I think they look terrific on the 3.0 CSL, but I have my doubts on the E39 B10! Are there any other new exclusive cars around with similar striping?

Ufuk Dirim

[Danish]

For me the stripes was an acquired taste. It took some time before I liked them. My friends in the US think they look too "retro" or "80s" while my friends in Europe think that they belong on an Alpina. In Germany car theft is not a big enough problem to make that a reason to take off the stripes and badges, but I can easily see where it could be a problem.

Michael

[Mr Janne]

I agree with Michael. It´s taken a long time for me to start liking the stripes. But because I´m an Alpina enthusiast, I like pretty much every little detail that distiguish an Alpina.

Ac-Schnitzer also have stripes available for their cars...

[BlueBiturbo]

Although it's a matter of personal taste, I vote for the Deco stripes.
I had a black E34 with gold stripes and it looked stunning. There are only a few in LA area back then with the stripes, and if I were to do it all over again today I would put the silver deco in a black car

My friend had a similar black car with full Schintzer spoilers and 3-pc wheels but he did not put AC Schnitzer stripes because it did not look good.

To me, Alpina's deco gives the car some character.

Cheers,
Taffy

[MTY]

I like high performance but discrete ( comparing to Ferraries...) cars as M & Alpina cars