CarBrandLogos archive · Alpina · 2005
The fast 5-Series for people who did not want an M5.
Discover the storyPhoto: nakhon100 · CC BY 2.0
The story
Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Alpina B5, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.
01
The B5 took over from the B10 as Alpina's version of BMW's executive saloon, and it has always been positioned deliberately against the M5 rather than alongside it. Where BMW built a sharp, hard-edged car for drivers who wanted something circuit-capable, Alpina built one for covering long distances at high speed in comfort.
2005 Alpina B5 · nakhon100 · CC BY 2.0
02
The first B5, on the E60 platform, used a supercharged 4.4-litre V8 - an unusual choice at a time when BMW's own performance engines were naturally aspirated. Later generations moved to twin turbochargers, added all-wheel drive and a Touring estate body, and reached the point where the B5 was quicker in a straight line than the M5 it shadowed while riding considerably better.
03
Production ran from 2005 to 2024. For most of that period, if you wanted the fastest genuinely comfortable four-door in Germany, this was the answer.
At a glance
Produced
2005–2024Technical specification
Badge at launch
This is the marque emblem that accompanied the B5's era. The full identity timeline is documented in the brand archive.
Explore the logo history →From the journal
Contemporaries from the 2000s
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