BMW has a close relationship with Alpina of Buchloe, Allagau region of southern Germany. Alpina offers cars that BMW do not offer and their models complement each other perfectly. For the 3-series Alpina offers the B3 S with 305 HP (although judging by it's performance in tests of various carmagazines it is around 320 HP). The upcoming 5-series of the E60 generation will be available in a Touring (B5 Touring) and will not either have a top speed limiter. Also the B5 will have automatic gearbox as an option. For the Z4 they offer a 300 HP Roadster S. For the sporty driver that wants a large luxury-class sedan Alpina offers the supercharged 500 HP Alpina B7 that is based on the 7-series. The 7-series does hit the 300 km/h mark precisely.

Alpina want to make cars that the owner can drive comfortable between Hamburg and Munich perfectly relaxed. Naturally touching the top-speed a few times, since Alpina automobiles are only resisted by aerodynamic- and rollresistance and not electronically.

Founder Burkhard Bovensiepen used to say "For a small car producer I have a good wine celler, and to be just a simple wine seller I make pretty good cars" since Alpina also invests in wine, namely buying large quantities of wine as early and as timely as possible. Each individual bottle is permanently analyzed and is released for sale depending on drink-ripe and market situation. The wine have just seen the producers and Alpina's storage which holds well over 1 million bottles. Founder Burkhard Bovensiepen is today more active in his wine-departement and his both sons Andy and Florian Bovensiepen are working actively with Alpina automobiles. Burkhard rives the E39 based 375 HP B10 V8 S and the twin-turbo diesel D10 BiTurbo.

So that is why we had an excellent time discussing Alpina current and future range over an excellent bottle of white wine.

The B3 S complements BMW products perfectly. They are a bit softer than the M-versions but also available in all bodyshapes as well as in automatic. The 4-door Sedan is the best selling bodyshape with the Convertible in second place. After that is the Coupe and Touring. It is available with a 6-speed manual gearbox or their SwitchTronic that is made in cooperation with Bosch and ZF. This offers a more sporting theme of driving a automatic gearbox, where the driver can choose which gear he wants and it will remained fixed. Whilst in SwitchTronic mode, the torque converter lock-up clutch is normally closed, producing the minimum of power loss through the converter. The gears can be selected on the steering wheel.

It's engine has 90 percent of it's 362 Nm max torque between 2500 and 6500 rpm even though it is a high-revving engine that has it's redline over 7000 rpm.

Here you notice the button to shift down the SwitchTronic. The steering wheel has the coloured threads in Alpina: blue and green. Alpina does not limit their cars topspeed to 250 km/h so the B3 S Coupe have a top speed of 271 km/h for the manual version.

Despite it's wider wheels the B3 S have a drag coefficent of 0,29. Alpina had access to Michelin test track as well as BMW windtunnel when designing the aerodynamic aids.

There is leather almost everywhere, even on the handle you press on the front seat when you should gain access to the rearseats. This is the Alpina Lavalina leather.

The Alpina emblem is placed on four seats in the B3 S Coupe.

You can specifiy what kind of colour on the leather, piping and the middle pattern. As you notice Alpinas attention to detail is faboulos, with perfect precision with the Alpina Lavalina leather. Of course you can specify the colour of the threads the leather is stitched with.

The Alpina Roadster S is equipped with a 3,4 litre straigh six with 300 HP and has a 6-speed gearbox. It has a top speed of 270 km/h with hardtop and 265 km/h without. It is standard equipped with Alpinas recently designed 19' wheels.

Interestingly -as mentioned on page three of this report- Alpina also acknowledges in their official brochure that BMW M is not planning any M-version of the Z4 as of now.

The white indicators in front gives the Chris Bangle directed designed Z4 a more sleek and more of an aesthetic look.

Functional as well as beautiful. You have your own key to access the wheelbolts as well as for filling it with air.

Alpina number all their cars with a silver plaque. These are for the B7 and the B7 L.

Alpina have on their Alpina B7 redesigned the rear-end with the typical spoiler but also changed the rear lights, for the first time in Alpinas history. The change is aesthetically to the better for the whole end of the E65 7-series.