Alpina’s B12 was the king of the Sevens, but at over £100,000 it needed to be. Now less than £25K can put you behind the wheel of the bespoke sports limo.

I’ve always been a big fan of the 7 Series, and while I thought the E32 was going to be a hard act to follow, BMW pulled all the stops out with the E38 and I thought It was a fantastic machine. When it was launched I was working inthe BMW dealer network, and for some reason I |was made the '7 Series account manager', which (basically meant that I talked new customers through the finer points of their new steeds, and was the first point of call should anything go wrong with their car.
And plenty of things did go wrong with those first models, and despite being shouted at by several irate owners it didn't put me off the cars. I was lucky enough to drive plenty of 730is, 740is and even the occasional 750i, but I never managed to lay my hands on an Alplna B 12 – the ultimate incarnation of the Seven.
Jobs changed and some years later I found myself working for BMW Car as minion/tea boy when the then editor announced that there was an Alpina B 12 to be driven, but you guessed it, I was to stay in the office while he swanned around in the über-cruiser. Argh!
So when Martin Pearse from MCP Motorsport called to say he had a mint B 12 5.7 in stock, I jumped at the chance to finally acquaint myself with the ultimate Seven.
But what was so special about the B12? After all, the 750i on which It was based was an awesome machine, so I was keen to see if I was right in thinking that the B12 could take things to another level. There were too versions of the Alpina Seven, a 5.7-litre and a six-litre, pushing out 387 and 430bhp respectively. 'Our' car is 'only a 5 .7 (despite the 6.0 badge fitted by the previous owner), but quite frankly if 387bhp at 5200rpm isn't enough, then I doubt the extra horses generated by the six-litre version will make that much difference. If the power figure looks impressive, then the peak torque of 413lb ft at 4100rpm is positively gargantuan. And despite the high looking peak, most of it's available from 2000rpm. You'd have to look at Alpina's latest generation B7 due later this year to have significantly more urge.
The capacity enlargement over BMW's VI 2 was achieved by increasing both the bore and stroke, but there's a lot more to the B12 than giving it some more urge. There's BMW's five-speed auto box, but with revised shift patterns and Alpina's trademark SwitchTronic controls, but it's in the suspension department that Alpina has always really excelled, and it's no different on the B12.
There are revised springs and dampers courtesy of Fichtel and Sachs and thicker anti-roll bars, all backed up the 750i's already impressive EDC electronic damper control and DSC dynamic stability control. To help keep it all on the road there are 20-inch rims, nine inches wide at the front and a massive 10-inches across at the rear which are clothed in 245/40 and 275/35 ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport tyres. Naturally enough there's a set of big brakes to haul it up backed up by ABS.
In typical Alpina fashion it's suitably subtle to look at, with no rear spoiler to distract from the Seven's graceful lines, while at the front there's an additional air dam which gives the car a little more purpose. There's no mistaking those rims though, as they really do fill the arches nicely, but it's the pair of twin exhausts that protrude from the rear valance that seem to really grab the attention. BMW's Sevens don't show off their exhausts, so the quad pipe set up seems to really emphasise this car's intent.
It's also a view that I rapidly become accustomed to once I've met up with Martin and snapper Fraser. For logistical reasons we need to dump my car so a spirited drive across north Norfolk ensues. The combined horsepower of Eraser's Fiat and my 523i is still a good 100bhp shy of the B12's output, so it's hardly surprising when Martin looks like he's going to disappear into the Norfolk sun.
From where I'm sitting constantly stirring the gearbox to get the best from the Five, it just looks so effortless. I'm pretty sure Martin has done little more than tickle the throttle of the B12 so far, but he's able to breeze past slower traffic with ease. God know's how Fraser can keep up in his Fiat!
We arrive at our destination and it's finally my turn behind the wheel. As I slip into this left-hand drive machine it all feels beautifully familiar yet different at the same time. The black Buffalo leather seats are deeply opulent and eye-catching with their Alpina stitching, while the wood actually looks like wood and wouldn't be out of place in a gentleman's club. There are subtle Alpina embellishments everywhere, from the discreet blue-faced dials complete with 320km/h speedo to the SwitchTronic buttons on the wheel. Delicate slivers of Alpina wood even extend to the grab handles.
I've seen what's under the bonnet, and while the VI 2 looks pretty menacing, when you fire it up it doesn't give its game away immediately. It's pretty quiet and muted, but flex your right ankle and there's a delicious roar from the exhaust - this is going to be fun.
We're aiming for the Fens for our photoshoot, and while the majority of the roads we encounter are too small for this two-tonne machine, when we do encounter a decent stretch of blacktop the B12 proves to be an awesome companion. The first stretch of dual carriageway I encounter sees the speedo needle dart into the licence losing section without me even trying, and I should imagine that on derestricted Autobahns this car would have few peers. There's no step in the power delivery, just relentless urge.
While the ride can be a little jittery at low speed on poorly surfaced sections, the faster you go the better it gets. It's supremely well damped, really hunkering down at speed and feeling utterly planted to the bitumen. The brakes haul it down well from high speeds, and given the right type of road it corners and handles with aplomb.
You can play racing driver if you're in the mood with the SwitchTronic, but to be perfectly honest there's not a whole lot of reason to. In its normal 'D' mode the five-speed auto changes seamlessly and rapidly, leaving little need to swap cogs yourself. The gearbox is BMW's adaptive unit so changes its style to suit your mood whether your charging or cruising.
And so to the sordid side of things. This immaculate Alpina Blue B12 5.7 is currently upfor sale at £23,595. It's a 1996 car, number six according to its Alpina plaque, with 80k km on the clock (about 50,000 miles), and other than a bit of a creak from what sounded like a front suspension ball joint it drove like new. An equivalent 750i will probably set you back £17-18,000, while a pristine 740i from the same era is going to be cheaper still. Neither offer up quite such a sense of style and occasion as the B12 or anywhere near its exclusivity or pace. And with the Alpina you've got to remember that it should have done the bulk of its depreciating - remember, it cost over a hundred grand new which makes it seem like a bit of a bargain today.
After waiting over six years for a go in one, the B12 certainly lived up to my expectations, and as far as its sheer get up and go was concerned they were exceeded. It feels like such a well rounded package, you really could buy this car and want for nothing else. It's that much fun.

CONTACT:
MCP Motorsport
Tel: 01263 822481
Website: www.mcp-motorsport.com