With 625hp, the final Alpina 5-Series is one of the firm's highlights - and the most powerful in its history.
Is anyone else getting the feeling that we’re approaching the End of Days? We know that performance vehicles will continue into the pure electric age that is fast approaching, and that in terms of raw speed some will be much quicker than any running on petrol or diesel. But we also know that many of the cars that we have collectively loved are soon going to be extinct. Cars like this – the final ever Alpina 5 Series variant, the new B5 GT.
Every one of the Alpina-ized 5 Series models since the first B7 has followed the same recipe - big performance with minimal drama. The existence of BMW’s own M division means that Alpina models offer a gentler take on the ability to deliver and sustain huge speeds. That’s one of the reasons Alpina pioneered the use of using steering wheel buttons for manual gear selection with an automatic gearbox, getting ‘Switch-Tronic’ to market two years before Porsche branded a similar idea Tiptronic.
The headline is a modest performance bump, but one sufficient to make the B5 GT the most powerful model in Alpina’s history. The 4.4-litre N63 twin-turbo V8 now produces peaks of 625hp and 627lb ft, with the latter figure available from just 3,500rpm. Those numbers represent increases of 26hp and 49lb ft over the regular B5 and come from a revised intake system and a punchier ECU.
The B5 GT’s performance is both monstrous and relentless. We have reached a stage where 0-60 times have become essentially meaningless for sharp-end stuff. Alpina claims a 0-62mph time of 3.2 seconds for the GT saloon, and 3.4 seconds for the Touring. A better indication of the forces at play is the four door’s claimed ability to get from rest to 124mph in 10.9 seconds. Something that feels entirely after the first flying run along Zandvoort’s main straight.
This isn’t a criticism: the B5 is a great car to push hard, with copious feedback and huge grip. It doesn’t have the full battery of understeer-fighting systems of an M5, with a conventional limited-slip differential at the back rather than an active one. But it still turns willingly, delivers crisp connection through the steering and hooks up amazingly well when being pushed.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alpina B5 GT 2023 first drive | AutocarREVIEW: The B5 GT is a monument to everything Alpina does best on paper – how does it stack up in reality? We find out
Read more »
Sex Education Trailer Confirms Season 4 Is Netflix Series' Final SeasonNetflix releases a new teaser trailer for Sex Education: Season 4, which confirms the hit series that began in 2019 is coming to an end.
Read more »
'Riverdale' Students Are Ready to Conquer Senior Year in New Musical Episode Clip‘Riverdale’ Season 7 Musical Clip: Archie Is Ready to Conquer Senior Year
Read more »
This Phoebe Waller-Bridge Thriller Series Was Criminally UnderratedTypically, everything Phoebe Waller-Bridge touches turns to gold. So what happened here?
Read more »
Sausage Party: Seth Rogen on 'Foodtopia' Series, Kristen Wiig reactionSausagePartyFoodtopia star & executive producer SethRogen discusses the upcoming animated series, KristenWiig's script reaction & more. / SausageParty Amazon PrimeVideo EvanGoldberg
Read more »
Astros' Jose Altuve a late scratch for series opener vs. RockiesJose Altuve, slated to be the Astros' DH on Tuesday, was instead scratched from the...
Read more »