Alpina B10 Bi Turbo

The Alpina B10 Bi-Turbo is a high performance version of the BMW 5 Series E34 executive car built by Alpina. Beginning production in 1989, the B10 Bi-Turbo was based on the 535i and received several upgrades by Alpina, being the fastest production sedan in the world at the time of its introduction. Production ended in 1994 with 507 examples produced.

Contents

• Technical data
• Performance Test Results
• References

Based on the E34 535i and developed at a cost of $3.2 million, the B10 Bi-Turbo was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1989.

To build each B10 Bi-Turbo powerunit Alpina dismantled a BMW M30 engine, replaced the stock pistons with forged Mahle units, installed two Garrett T25 water-cooled turbochargers, and added a Bosch variable boost control with range of 0.4-0.8 bar, adjustable from the driver's seat. Additional modifications helped raise the horsepower of the stock M30 engine from 155 kW/208 hp at 5700 rpm and 305 Nm/225 lb-ft at 4000 rpm to 265 kW/360 hp at 6000 rpm and 520Nm/384 lb-ft at 4000 rpm. A Getrag 290 5-speed manual transmission was specified to handle the power.

Modifications to the suspension included Alpina-spec springs and anti-roll bars. Bilstein shocks were used on front and automatic-load levelling units by Fichtel & Sachs were used in the rear. Front rotors were large 13.1-inch discs from UK-based Lucas Girling, bigger even than the 12.8-inch pieces found on the E34 M5. Michelin MXX tires were standard as was BMW's Automatic Stability Control (ASC).

The company claimed a 0–100 km/h time of 5.6 sec and a top speed over 290 km/h putting it in the same league as a Ferrari Testarossa. In the September 1991 issue of Road & Track Paul Frère wrote: "For me this is the car … I think this is the best 4-door in the world." Despite a base price tag of 146,800 DM, nearly twice the price of an E34 M5, the B10 Bi-Turbo became the best-selling single model in Alpina history up until that point. The six year production run beginning in 1989 ended in August 1994 with 507 examples produced. Production ended with the termination of M30 motors by BMW in 1993. The final 50 M30 blocks were shipped to Alpina for use in the final 50 B10 Bi-Turbos.