CarBrandLogos archive · Alpina · 1993

AlpinaB3

Nearly forty years of quietly rebuilding the 3-Series into something else.

Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Alpina history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Alpina B3, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The B3 is Alpina's longest-running model line, first appearing on the E30 in 1987 and staying in the catalogue until the firm's independent production wound down in 2025. Across that span it followed BMW's compact executive car through generation after generation of platform, and the brief never changed: more usable performance than the standard car, delivered with less noise and fewer compromises than BMW's own M division was willing to accept.

BMW Alpina B3 · nakhon100 · CC BY 2.0

Design and engineering

The early cars were naturally aspirated, using enlarged versions of BMW's straight-six with Alpina's own cylinder head work. From the E90 B3 Bi-Turbo of 2007 the recipe switched to forced induction, and the modern G20 B3 uses a comprehensively reworked version of the S58 engine from the M3, with softer springing, an automatic gearbox rather than a manual, and Touring and all-wheel-drive versions that BMW did not always offer itself.

Alpina B3 Bi Turbo · TTTNIS · CC0

In production

That last point explains the appeal. Alpina cars are recognised as manufactured vehicles in Germany rather than conversions, and buyers have consistently chosen them as the fast 3-Series for people who would rather not look fast. BMW bought the Alpina brand from the Bovensiepen family in 2022.

BMW Alpina B3 Touring Rear · Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance