Alpina B3

The Alpina B3 is a 2-door coupé / 2-door convertible / retractable hard top convertible / 4-door sedan (automobile) / saloon / 5-door station wagon from Alpina, built from 2007 to 2013, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Under the bonnet: 3.0 L BMW N54.

How it came about

The Alpina B3 (E90) and Alpina D3 (E90) are a series of high performance compact executive cars manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Alpina from 2007 to 2013. Based on the BMW 3 Series (E90), the B3 and D3 were available in coupé, saloon, convertible (not available for the D3) and station wagon body styles. The B3 was officially unveiled at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show. The coupé debuted the following summer at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and the convertible debuted at the IAA 2007.

The hardware

Power comes from 3.0 L BMW N54; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It weighs 1645 kg. It shifts through a 6-speed ZF 6HP19 automatic. The wheelbase is 2760 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Family and rivals

Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Alpina B3 (E46); its successor was the Alpina B3 (F30) / Alpina B4; assembly was at Buchloe, Germany. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Hyundai i30, the Nissan GT-R, the Volkswagen Tiguan — show what else the money bought that year. Its Alpina stablemates include the Alpina B10 and the Alpina B10 (E39).