WELCOME TO MCP MOTORSPORT

Top speed 175mph. 0-100 13.8 secs. Manufactured 1993-94 V8 4.0. 1994-96 V8 4.6 in Saloon and Touring.

A superbly refined cruiser with increased performance in all aspects over BMW's M5 as highlighted in the car's asking price of over £65.000 + options.

What does the B10 have over the standard BMW 540i on which it is based? First the V8 engine has been enlarged to 4.6 litres to provide a whopping 340bhp. But virtually every other dynamic aspect has also been retuned including the internals and electronics of the optional Switchtronic gearbox fitted to the test car.

Imagine, therefore, a V8 unit with four valves per cylinder, a sophisticated fuel injection system and tubular exhaust manifold. Oh, and the Alpina script. Imagine also the 250kW (335bhp) output at 5 700rpm driving through Alpina's clever SwitchTronic transmission which gives the driver push button control of gear changes.

We can't show you the car's special Alpina brakes which are carried over from the company's hi-turbo models and which feature big four-pot calipers and giant ventilated discs. There isn't even a photograph of the B10 badge on the rear flanks

.

You can, however, get a glimpse of the special blue leather-trimmed interior. And we can tell you that the car comes with full climate control, an electrically adjustable steering column and sports seats, and BMW's clever traction control system.

You can see the distinctive Alpina front spoiler and those even more characteristic Alpina multi-spoke wheels. They are l7in diameter, 8.5in wide at the front and 9.Sin at the rear. Michelin Pilot tyres are fitted - 23 5/45 and 265/40 dimensions.

No photographs can show you how fast the car is, but you can guess that it's quick. You'd be right. According to Alpina, l00kph (62mph) from standstill takes just 6.3sec and the maximum speed is an intriguing 'more than 270kph/l67mph'. And that's about all we can tell you about this special Alpina.

MCP Motorsport 1999/2000/2001 Last Page Update 10 March 2001