(E) Alpina B12

If you wanted a more fun and even faster 850i you would have to go for this car.
The Alpina B12 5,0 Coupé.
It came in 1991 and has the same engine as the B12 5,0 Limousine.
A total of 97 cars were built.

Engine/Gearbox :
The engine is based on BMW´s 5,0 litre V12 unit.
The displacement is unchanged at 5,0 litre, as are the block,crankshaft, connecting rods, inlet and exhaust manifolds and cooling system.
Different Mahle pistons raise the compression,larger inlet valves,more valve lift and changed valve timing get more mixture into the engine.
The combustion chambers are changed to accommodate the larger inlet.
New three-way metal catalysts and new stainless steel exhaust systems are also fitted.
Alpina has also reprogrammed the Motronic management system to raise the maximum engine speed from 6000 to 6400 rpm.
The top speed limiter is of course eliminated.
These changes, plus a couple of other, increase the power to 350 bhp
The torque is higher too, 470 Nm at 4000 rpm instead of 450 at 4100.
The engine is connected to a 4-speed automatic gearbox.

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels :
The suspension has shorter and stiffer springs and gas-pressure dampers.
The wheels are 18in high with 245/40 tires at front and 285/35 tires at rear.

Interior/Exterior :
The interior changes include
a new leather-covered 3-spoke steering-wheel, a gearknob made of leather Nappa leather sportseats in Alpina design and new instruments with blue background and red needles.
The only exterior changes are :
the wheels a new front-spoiler the badges and the exhaust pipes.

Performance :
Alpina claimed a 0-100 km/h time of 6,8 seconds and a top speed of over 280 km/h.
In Auto Motor und Sport´s test the B12 accelerated
from 0-100 km/h in 7,0 seconds
0-160 km/h in 15,0 seconds
0-200 km/h in 23,0 seconds
and had a top speed of 283 km/h.

Examples of Members cars :

The B12 5,7 Coupé is the fastest car Alpina have ever made.
It is based on the BMW 850CSi which came in fall 1992 and the B12 came about a half year later.
Alpina have admitted that with the 850 CSi, BMW and BMW Motorsport have done a terrific job so their idea with the B12 5,7 was just to enchance a few things on the CSi.

Engine/Gearbox :
The engine is based on the BMW Motorsport prepared 5,6 litre V12.
The engine has grown in size to 5,7 litre.
They have also done some modifications to the intake-system, crankshaft and camshafts.
A new exhaust system is used with Alpina´s stainless steel catalytic converters and they have reprogrammed the Motronic Management system.
The changes result in 416 bhp and 570 Nm of torque.

The gearbox is a Getrag 6-speed manual but the Shift-Tronic gearbox was available as an option.
That is a 6-speed manual without a clutch like Saab´s sensonic system.

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels :
BMW got so close to Alpina specs on the CSi suspension that all Alpina bothered to change were the car´s front springs to lower the nose a little.
The brakes are the same as in the 850 CSi but the wheels are bigger, 18in high with 245/40 tires up front and 285/35 tires at rear.

Interior/Exterior :
The B12 has, like all other Alpina cars, Alpina upholstery.
That means, in this car, anthracite leather with blue and green stripes.
A new leather-covered steering-wheel is fitted, as is a wood gearknob.
The B12 5,7 has the same exterior changes as the 5 litre model except for one thing, the bonnet.
It is made of carbon-fiber with a NACA duct in the center and engine vents on the sides.

Performance :
Alpina claimed a 0-100 km/h time of 5,8 seconds, 0-1000 m in 24,9 seconds and a top speed of more than 300 km/h.

NOTE :
According to Stephen Spears,
Because of the huge increase in tire size on the B12. Alpina was forced to modify the rear steering system to restrict directional changes.
This was due to tire rub happening when steering around hard corners.