‘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.
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
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
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
