Fastest four-door: Alpina launches the B7, a 205mph version of BMW's 7-Series
The Alpina B7, a tuned-up version of BMW's luxurious 7-Series, has arrived in the UK – and it's even faster than we first thought.
Its 205mph top speed is significantly more impressive than the 193mph figure given at its unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. What's more, it makes this German saloon the fastest four-door car currently on sale in the UK.
It has a 600bhp 4.4-litre V8 boasting twin-scroll turbochargers located within the cylinder banks, an upgraded eight-speed automatic transmission with manual buttons on the back of the steering wheel, and lashings of carbon fibre to reduce overall kerb weight.
The interior of the 'ordinary' BMW 7-Series is among the best in the business already, and Alpina adds a number of lavish finishing touches as standard. The base price for the Alpina B7 is £115,000, but many customers will spend more on optional upgrades – one of Alpina's strengths is its approach to customisation.
Alpina is a Bavarian automotive outfit famed for its tuned BMW cars. Its relationship with the Munich manufacturer began in the Sixties, when it developed a carburetor for the BMW 1500, and since then has been responsible for some of Germany's most impressive road and track machines.
“Not long ago, only the most focussed £million hypercars could touch 200 mph. Where road conditions allow, owners of the new B7 Bi-Turbo can cruise long distances at that legendary speed. with friends and family in considerable comfort,” says ALPINA GB brand manager Gary Lott. “Remarkably, ALPINA has achieved this alongside superb ride quality and refinement at lower speeds, and all for just £115,000.”
The Alpina B7 being sold in the UK is the long-wheelbase version, which means the back seats will be exceptionally comfortable for even the tallest passengers. This puts it at a distinct advantage over other high-performance four-doors, including the Aston Martin Rapide S, and more conventional 2+2 grand tourers such as Bentley's Continental.
Despite the relatively low price, we don't expect the B7 to be a bestseller in the UK. The brand is relatively unknown here (the number of Alpina cars currently registered here is in the low hundreds) and in terms of performance, there's a growing overlap between Alpina and BMW's in-house M brand.
What's more, outright top speed is less of a concern in Britain than it is in Germany, where vast stretches of autobahn have no speed limit at all.
