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Take BMW s best handling car, the homologation special M3 and insert into it the Bavarian company's best engine, the 3.5 litre straight six. The combination should be mighty impressive, and that precisely is what that expert in BMW niche marketing, Burkard Bovensiepen, has done, calling the results the Alpina B6 3.5 'S'.
BMW has done a pretty good job in refining the rorty M3 for road use - it's no peaky, temperamental racer. However, it is powered by a four-cylinder engine. A very powerful 4 to be sure - 200bhp at 7650rpm - but a four never the less, and an old one at that. In the road car it is reasonably tractable in spite of the high revs of which it is capable and, for a four, not too bad in the smoothness stakes. It is, of course, derived from the ex Formula 1 unit, which explains its presence in the M3.
On the other hand BMW has its splendid big straight six which many argue is the best in the world both in terms of performance and smoothness. The standard 3 is available with a 2.5 litre version, so levering in a 3.5 litre doesn't create too many problems.
The bigger engine adds some 260lbs to the overall weight of the M3 and most of that over the front wheels of course, hence the stiffer front springs. But then there is another 60bhp to compensate. The result according to official figures is a top speed up from 146mph to 160mph and more importantly a vastly reduced 0 - 100mph time down to 14.5secs (standard M3 from I 9 - 21 secs).
On the road this translates into exactly what you expect - a performance the equal of the standard M3 but without the revs of the 16 valve four. In fact the acceleration becomes deceptive, simply because it is achieved without all the fuss and drama, with much more torque and low down power.
There are two ways of looking at this. Those who want the excitement of loads of revs and raucousness from a semi-racing power unit will be unenthusiastic; those who love the sheer urge but find all those revs and gear swapping a mite tiresome will be taken by the 865. Count me among the latter: the Alpina is one of the most relaxing high-speed devices you can find, and the extra low down torque (the M3's peak at l77b/ft at a very high 4750rpm, and there's not a lot below 4000fpm) means that in heavy traffic it's a damn sight easier to drive. And there's the added bonus of a much more mellifluous exhaust note, pure music to the ears, in place of the four's rather common, screaming rasp.
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