‘THEY’RE A CAR FOR SOMEBODY WHO APPRECIATES BMW but wants something a little different, without going to one of the other tuning companies. Alpina’s the best known, a manufacturer even. They’ve got things spot on.’ It’s difficult to disagree with Alun Parry’s sentiment, whether you’ve just stepped from behind the wheel of a recent B3, or are staring, slightly misty-eyed, at his glorious 1982 Alpina B6 2.8. Parry, head of press and PR at Suzuki UK, was working with BMW GB back in 1995 when he collected his B6 from its previous owner in Germany. The car, he says, had no trouble on the autobahn keeping pace with the 740i they’d driven down in…
If you’ve been reading evo for a while, you may already recognise this car. Ten years ago it made a brief appearance in Fast Fleet (issue 137) alongside its contemporary equivalent, an Alpina D3 run by Roger Green. Both cars were built in the same factory in Buchloe, Bavaria, and while the diesel engine of the D3 might hamper its future-classic credentials, there’s little doubt Parry’s B6 is already there.
What you might not guess, looking at its rich coat of black paintwork and perfect silver Deko Set stripes, is that the car used to be green. ‘It was Cyprus Green originally. It was painted in 1998 by a friend of mine. He called me and said, “What colour do you want the car?” I said, “Well, green.” But he said, “It’s just a shell, so you don’t have to.” I thought maybe I’ll have it red, but then we went for black with silver decals.’
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Evo.
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Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Evo.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Cupra Formentor Abt
It's farewell to the original Cupra Formentor with an Abt-tuned run-out package. It's a quietly excellent car; just a shame about the price...
Renault Sport Clio 200 Turbo
This misguided departure from the French brand's hot hatch heritage saw the Clio fall from grace
REBIRTH OF AN ICON
The Kalmar 9X9 is a modernday reinterpretation of Porsche's game-changing 959 supercar, with a carbon body and up to 917bhp. And evo is helping to develop it
Volkswagen Golf GTI
The underachieving Mk8 GTI gets a shot at redemption with the new, revised Mk8.5 version. Is it the leap forward it needs to be?
BEST BUYS
FAST FORDS FROM THE CORTINA TO THE ESCORT AND THE FIESTA, Ford is responsible for some of the most popular cars in British history. But alongside these everyday machines it has also produced a stream of desirable driver's cars.
HY AND DRY
The switch to electric power means an early exit for Hyundai N's brilliant ICE hot hatch duo. We go for a farewell drive in the 120 N
SEXY BEAST
The Vanquish name is back for Aston Martin's latest seriesproduction flagship, with a stunning new look and simply brutal performance from an 824bhp twin-turbo V12
THE JOY OF DRIVING
From mastering the everyday commute to unlocking the full potential of your performance car, our new series will help you become safer, more confident and ultimately more skilled behind the wheel
TINY DANCER
You haven't seen a Mini dance like this before, but then you haven't seen a Mini with a 4-litre M Power V8 under the bonnet and rear-wheel drive. Introducing Vini...
LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO
Grandaddy to the Temerario and the car that transformed Lamborghini was the brilliant, V10-engined Gallardo. We get reacquainted with a Lambo legend