The Ultimate Bahnstormer - Alpina B12 6.0
A few days back I wrote a story about the E32 B11 3.5, a high performance derivative of the then class leading BMW 735i. Well just as there are always bigger fish there's also always more displacement. Now I could have gone into the E32 B12 5.0 which sported a 349hp version, naturally aspirated mind you, of the 750i or even the successor the B12 5.7 with an equally high performance version of the 750i of that generation.
Let's skip all that though and go straight to one of the fastest sedans over 60mph in the world - to this day.
The B12 6.0
It features the largest displacement engine ever put into an Alpina at pretty much exactly 6.0L from a silky smooth V12 mated to a 5 speed auto. The 0-60/100 times can be disregarded here as it is the acceleration over 60mph which simply melts your face off. It is faster from 0-1000m than a Ferrari F355 which was Ferrari's weapon of choice at the time and will soldier on all the way up to or exceeding 300km/h - mind you it will do that with 5 people and luggage it just doesn't care.
The source of this rage is a Ferrari like high compression V12 with 430hp and 600NM torque, 500NM are available at 1700RPM.
Engine rebuilds running into the 30-50k (EUR today) and otherwise very spendy maintenance are not out of the norm for this engine. If fresh it will run at or above 180mph all day every day that's what it's built for.
Thing about this car though is not it's performance, or the impressive engine and not even the fact that it will run 180mph and do it as quiet as a 5 series at 50mph it is the understated yet at the same time brutal looks that fascinate me.
Here a long wheel base version with Shadow-Line trim and amber signals in black:
Of course it can be equally enjoyable in 'Technoviolett - metallic' and chrome trim such as this B12 5.7 below (with Mk2 rear lights):
Unfortunately because it is so rare there are almost no pictures of quality available for it. So what you see here is either press photos, official Alpina press material or photos from auctions or sales ads which are again quite rare.
This is a shot of the only B12 6.0 painted in BMW Estoril Blue metallic, not my cup of tea but impressive none the less:
This is a midnight blue one with champagne interior:
Note the unique stance due to the 20" Alpina wheels and custom suspension. This combination is good for driving like on rails at 180mph.
As for the interior this is probably the most tasteful (next to black and the classic Lufthansa grey leather) I've come across:
Midnight blue leather dash and accents, champagne roofliner, wood 'Birke hell', Lavalina champagne leather with extended covers and bucket seats.
So the only thing you can hope for is that you got the SLR ready and catch one of these brutes out on the open road or, as in this case, a vacant parking lot.
Hail to the King then. The last V12 Alpina has produced, the last naturally aspirated engine they put in a 7 series and the last and most powerful naturally aspirated V12 to feature a BMW block.
Oh and if you were wondering the 'Bahnstomer' moniker isn't completely original. Actually Alpina themselves quoted the aim when designing the B12 6.0 as creating the ultimate 'Autobahn-Stormer' so I'm not too far off the original.
Tge Alpina BMWs are awesome, but as you said really pricey to repair and from what I have heard, not super reliable.
I've actually heard some different things as in the built quality much exceeds that of regular BMWs and also that if maintained correctly (that is at Alpina or BMW Alpina dealers to the tee) then they will run forever. The very high mileage of most used offerings is a testament to that. Then again it might just be owner's willing to invest horrendous sums to keep it running :).
I think the article I read was just about M power cars always blowing their engines. That could be true with Alpinas
What's true for M cars and usually not for Alpina (this 6.0L V12 being an exception) is that they are more sports/circuit engines than true daily driver motors.
I know some guys who put 400.000+ on an S52 in the E36 M3 at the same time you'll hear horror stories about engines blowing up. The fact of the matter is you gotta service those engines and you gotta know the history - when both check out they are bulletproof. Any doubt on either and you're toast.
I found the article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/jalopnik.com/bmw-engines-are-gigantic-pieces-of-shit-1784684330/amp
Now, most of it is anecdotal, but the guy seems to point out some pretty obvious problems. However, I am not a mechanic or expert on M cars by any means.
Hilarious article, thoroughly enjoyed it almost as much as the linked story of how he flipped an E39 M5. That's the thing I was talking about in terms of maintenance. As far as the engines being pieces of shit I don't know. You just invest a lot to get the smoothest driving experience. I did write up on the E46 a while back and basically concluded that when they got done with the car they arrived at an MSRP of around 80kUSD for a 320i. So they figured do we leave the reliability in or the design and trim - they went for the latter.
Take the E46
If they had done all that it would have been bullet proof and then it would have cost 80k. They wouldn't have sold a million of them and none of the problems would be documented cuz there wouldn't be a community - then again it wouldn't have any problems.
It comes down to this the moment you walk towards it, see it, get in, close the door, start it and throw it into the first turn it becomes all worth it. I too wished they had not saved cost and made it more expensive less profitable but then again - it's BMW, it's built for the first owner for the first 70.000mls :).