CarBrandLogos archive · Alpina · 2003

AlpinaRoadster S

A BMW Z4 rebuilt in Buchloe, and one of Alpina's rarest cars.

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

Origins

Alpina builds saloons and estates for people who drive a long way quickly, so an open two-seater has always been an outlier in the range. The Roadster S, produced between 2004 and 2006, was based on the first-generation BMW Z4 and assembled at Buchloe alongside the rest of the firm's output.

Alpina Roadster S · Rick W. Dryve from Berlin, Germany · CC BY 2.0

Design and engineering

The engine was Alpina's E5/2, a 3.4-litre development of BMW's straight-six with its own cylinder head work and management, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed ZF manual gearbox. Suspension and brakes were reworked in the usual way, and the car wore Alpina's multi-spoke wheels and discreet badging.

In production

Very few were made and they rarely come up for sale. It is a footnote in the company's history rather than a milestone, but a useful reminder that Alpina's engine and chassis work stood on its own regardless of what it was applied to.

At a glance