DakarM

"Bill Howard, BMW CCA
Feb. 8, 2007

CHICAGO – We can do it rough or we can take it easy, Tina Turner sang. If you want to reach 500 hp with a BMW engine, “rough” may be the brute force of the V10 M engine. “Nice and easy” would be the approach taken by Alpina, BMW’s luxury/performance partner, and they combined Wednesday to unveil the Alpina B7 with a 500 hp supercharged engine and Alpina’s luxury interior. Based on the 750i sedan, the B7 starts at $115,695 plus a $1,300 fuel inefficiency surcharge.



This is the first Alpina model BMW in the U.S. since the Alpina edition of the Z8 sports car. It was BMW’s one introduction at the Chicago Auto Show, which had press days Wednesday and Thursday, then has a public run Friday, Feb. 9, through Sunday, Feb. 18. Chicago is the largest North America show in terms of attendance, drawing more than 1 million visitors (Detroit slipped to 705,000 from a 2003 peak of 838,000). But Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York outrank Chicago in terms of introductions and media impact. Wednesday and Thursday, the media were almost lost in the cavernous 1.2 million square foot McCormick Place.




The Alpina recipe
The B7 is about luxurious high performance, said Alpina principal Andy Bovensiepen, who took part in the intro along with Alpina’s Chris Odwarka and BMW 6 Series / 7 Series product manager Berkay Demircioglu. To make the car enjoyable in daily driving, Alpina engines provide lots of torque at low speeds and continuing up through the rpm range.

lpina takes BMW 4.4-liter V8 engine parts and individually assembles each engine, adding an Alpina radial supercharger and intercooler, and steplessly variable induction. Alpina adds its own suspension tuning that is sportier but not harsh since the intention was not create an M7, Bovensiepen says. Alpina also creates a multi-layer front radiator sandwich: engine coolant, engine oil, transmission, air conditioner, steering gear, and the intercooler.

The cast alloy wheels are the classic Alpina radial pattern: 21 x 9.0 front, 21 x 10.5 rear. One of the vanes is hollow, allowing Alpina to place the air valve inside the hub of the wheel, behind a swiveling trim patch. Tires are co-developed Michelin Pilots, 235/35ZR-21 front, 285/30ZR-21 rear – performance tires with a spare, not runflats, which are still a bit harsh, Alpina says. Bodywork modifications include a front bumper-and-spoiler assembly, rear spoiler, rear bumper “ensemble,” and Alpina B7 rear badging.




Lavalina leather, Alcantara headliner, Myrtle trim
Inside, modifications start with custom Alpina sillplates and standard comfort access. Alpina wraps the steering wheel in Lavalina leather with parallel not crossover stitching (less abrasive) and Switchtronic shift buttons on the rear of the wheel for manual shifting. The buttons are quite small, but Bovensiepen says it’s easy to get used to them. And they’re clearly marked, with minus (left side) and plus (right side) inlays on the front. The instrument cluster has an Alpina blue background, red dial pointers, and instant digital display of: fuel, range, distance to destination, and speed. The Nasca leather is perforated for active ventilation, Myrtle wood trim (with an etched Alpina logo) is a no-cost option, the headliner is Alcantara. Sirius satellite radio, standard on the 7 Series, comes with a lifetime (of the vehicle) subscription. By way of comparison, it was introduced on Mini at $950 including the tuner, which is typically $595 on a BMW. Floor mats have Alpina logos and the trunk is soft-close.



BMW’s Demircioglu says “several hundred” B7s will come stateside this year, a combination of special orders (be prepared to wait a couple weeks longer than a pure-BMW special order) and dealer stock. Options include active cruise control and night vision ($2,200 each), HD radio ($500), and rear side airbags ($385). Deliveries began in January and a dozen or so are already in customer hands. Since it's sold by BMW's U.S. dealer network, the B7 carries a BMW warranty. "

TheOtherDave™

Compared to the AC Schnitzer offerings for the 7, Alpina did a much nicer job of handling the aesthetics IMO. h:

Those trademark radial alloys still look ace, even on a polarizing design like the 7.

thomas

very nice luxobarge

GSRRacer95

Not digging the wheels at all.

fjm1

Which is quite unusual for them. Alpina is typically the bavarian equivalent of a rice shop.

Dinan>Schnitzer>poop>Alpina

Nelson

Holy fack

DakarM

i'm not sure where you got that information but you are mistaken.

fjm1

Having lived in Germany for 6 years I am entitled to my opinion.

I've been to BMW museum in Munich, toured the autobahn in my own BMW, and been to Nurburgring on a number of occasions. I was once a big fan of the BMTroubleU.

Now that you know where I'm coming from, what makes you eminently more qualified professor?

DakarM

it sounded like you were confusing Hamann with Alpina. I don't recall Alpina ever making a car with gullwing doors or double driving lights.