B12 5.7

STORY

The B12 was Alpina's V12 flagship, built across BMW's 7-Series (E32, E38) and 8-Series (E31). It gave the marque a genuine twelve-cylinder halo car aimed squarely at the top of the luxury GT market.

The most exotic was the E31-based B12 5.7 Coupé, introduced in November 1992 and derived from the 850CSi. Alpina enlarged BMW's S70 V12 to 5.7 litres with revised camshafts, intake and crankshaft for 416 PS and 570 Nm, good for 0-100 km/h in 5.8 seconds and a claimed 300 km/h. It carried a carbon-fibre bonnet with cooling vents and a central NACA duct, and just 57 were built through 1996. A rare Getrag six-speed manual with an optional electronic "Shift-Tronic" clutch was fitted to 32 cars. No other Alpina was ever offered with it.

On the saloons, the E32 and E38 B12 5.0 and 6.0 delivered up to 430 PS, making them among the fastest four-doors of their day and cementing Alpina's reputation for effortless, twelve-cylinder cross-country pace.