Alpina B3 S

Alpina does not build many cars like the Alpina B3 S: a 2-door coupé / 2-door convertible / retractable hard top convertible / 4-door sedan (automobile) / saloon / 5-door station wagon with 3.4&nbsp, built from 1999 to 2006 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard.

The story

The Alpina B3 and B3 S is a series of high performance compact executive cars manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Alpina from 1999 to 2006 based on the BMW 3 Series (E46). The B3 was available in coupé, saloon, convertible and station wagon body styles. The more powerful B3 S was introduced at the 2002 Paris Motor Show.

What is underneath

Under the skin sits 3.4&nbsp. The gearbox is a 6-speed Getrag manual transmission / manual / 5-speed automatic transmission / automatic. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2720 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Its place in the line

Where it sits in Alpina's history is not in doubt: the Alpina B3 (E36) came before it; the Alpina B3 (E90) followed it; it was built at Buchloe, Germany. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Honda S2000, the Toyota Yaris, the Škoda Auto Škoda Fabia. Nearby in the Alpina catalogue sit the Alpina B10 and the Alpina B10 (E39).