CarBrandLogos archive · Alpina · 2014

AlpinaB4

Alpina's take on the 4-Series, in petrol and - unusually - diesel.

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 B4, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

When BMW split the 3-Series coupe and convertible off into a separate 4-Series in 2014, Alpina followed with the B4. It was offered as a two-door coupe, a retractable hard-top convertible and later a four-door saloon, with rear-wheel drive or BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system, and built at Buchloe.

B4クーペ内装 · Alpina yuki · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

The petrol car used BMW's 3.0-litre N55 straight-six with two turbochargers in place of the standard single unit, a bespoke Alpina intake and cooling package, and an eight-speed ZF automatic running the company's own shift calibration. A diesel version, the D4, took the N57 turbodiesel and applied the same treatment - a combination almost nobody else offered, and one that suited Alpina's long-distance philosophy exactly.

ALPINA D4 R · Alpina yuki · CC BY-SA 4.0

Alpina B4 S Bi-Turbo Cabrio Back IMG 0826

In production

It replaced the E90-based B3 in the coupe role and stayed in production until 2025, its final years overlapping with BMW's purchase of the brand.

Alpina B4 S Bi-Turbo Cabrio Back IMG 0826 · Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

2014–2025

Engine

Petrol:

Body

2-door coupé

Technical specification

The B4, in detail.

Production: 2014–2025
Class: Compact executive car (D)
Body style: 2-door coupé; 2-door retractable hard-top convertible; 4-door saloon
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive/all-wheel-drive (xDrive)
Engine: Petrol:; 3.0 L BMW N55 twin-turbo Straight-six engine; I6 ; Diesel:; 3.0 L BMW N57 Turbocharger; turbodiesel I6
Transmission: 8-speed ZF 8HP70 automatic
Assembly: Germany: Buchloe
Manufacturer: Alpina