B10 3.5

STORY

The B10 line put Alpina's grand-touring philosophy onto the mid-size 5-Series, but its defining moment came in 1989 with the B10 Bi-Turbo. Based on the E34 535i, Alpina rebuilt BMW's M30 straight-six with forged Mahle pistons and twin water-cooled Garrett T25 turbochargers, adding a driver-adjustable Bosch boost control. Output jumped to 360 PS and 520 Nm.

At its March 1989 Geneva launch the B10 Bi-Turbo was, by Road & Track's testing, the fastest production saloon in the world. Alpina claimed 0-100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and over 290 km/h, matching a Ferrari Testarossa while carrying four in comfort. Priced at 146,800 DM, nearly double an E34 M5, it still became Alpina's best-selling single model to that point, with 507 built through 1994.

Later B10 variants (B10 3.5, 4.0, 4.6 and the supercharged B10 V8 S) continued the theme of a discreet, torque-rich super-saloon that outran flashier rivals without ever raising its voice.