News | First official pictures | Alpina B3 S Bi-Turbo

Updated: 26 January 2015

Alpina showed off the B3 S Bi-Turbo at the 2010 Geneva motor show and it rather passed us by. But this week the car goes on UK sale and it’s a good chance to reappraise the junior M3.

We say M3, since the B3 S Bi-Turbo retails at £49,250 in the UK. That’s for the saloon, jumping to £55,250 for the Convertible and you can spec your Touring estate or Coupé in Alpina spec too. But there’s no V8 under the bonnet – instead the B3 uses BMW’s 3.0-litre straight six.

Powering the B3 S Bi-Turbo

The twin-blower 3.0-litre six and six-speed auto have been fettled by Alpina to produce 395bhp at 6000rpm and 398lb ft at 4500rpm – enough to sprint to 62mph in 4.7sec and top out at 186mph. Not bad supercar-nudging performance considering the ‘greenish’ credentials: 29.1mpg and 224g/km of CO2.

That’s a handy 40 horsepower and newton metres of torque over the previous B3 Bi-Turbo.

You’ll spot the new 2010 B3 S by its redesigned front spoiler, new rear diffuser and those distinctive 19-inch Alpina alloys apeing the design of the wheels on the latest B7. The B3 S Bi-Turbo weighs in at 1570kg unladen.

Hmm. That price is dangerously close to a V8 M3. But when can I buy the Alpina?

The first B3 customer cars will arrive in July 2010, available from the UK concessionaire Sytner.

By Tim Pollard

Group digital editorial director, car news magnet, crafter of words

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