Alpina prices M8-baiting B8 Gran Coupe from $322,900

ALPINA Automobiles Australia has priced its flagship B8 Gran Coupe from $322,900 plus on-road costs, undercutting the M8 Competition Gran Coupe it’s pitted against by a substantial $32,000.

Sitting squarely at the top of Alpina’s local line-up, the B8 is Alpina’s take on what a BMW flagship should be like which is why the German tuning house has set about tweaking and changing just about everything.

Based on the lower-spec M850i, Alpina has fitted the underlying 4.4-litre V8 petrol mill with two of its own 54mm turbine turbochargers and a matching stainless-steel exhaust system developed in-house, along with bespoke ECU mapping to help the whole set-up work as effectively as possible.

Other tweaks include an upgraded cooling system with 50 per cent larger intercoolers and the results largely speak for themselves; the enhanced engine develops 457kW between 5500-6500rpm and 800Nm of torque from 2000-5000rpm.

On sheer power the M8 pips the Alpina by 3kW but the B8 fights back with a hefty 50Nm torque advantage.

All of that grunt is channelled to all four wheels via a remapped version of BMW’s eight-speed automatic transmission.

When all is said and done, the B8 Gran Coupe will spring from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.4 seconds and push on to a top speed of 324km/h whereas fuel consumption is pegged at 11.9 litres per 100km on the WLTP cycle.

As previously reported by GoAuto, plenty of work has been done under the B8’s skin to make it as comfortable and usable as possible in the real world on roads with bumps, potholes and drain covers.

This is why the brand fits all its cars, B8 included, with a ‘Comfort Plus’ setting for the adaptive dampers.

Beyond the electrics, Alpina-tuned Eibach springs are fitted as standard along with beefed-up strut support mounts, front lower wishbone mounts and a reinforced sway bar.

All-wheel-steering helps boost slow-speed manoeuvrability before enhancing stability at higher speeds.

Being based on an already high-spec BMW 8 Series and then being enhanced, it should come as no surprise the B8 Gran Coupe’s standard equipment list spills over multiple pages with just some of the highlights including bespoke 21-inch alloy wheels shod with Pirelli P-Zero rubber, Brembo brakes, four-zone climate control, ambient lighting, Merino leather upholstery, BMW laser light, Comfort Access, Driving Assistant Professional, wireless charging, Alpina Walnut Anthracite high-gloss interior trim, 16-speaker Harman/Kardon surround sound system, night vision, Lavalina leather sports steering wheel and a limited-slip rear differential.

Seven colours are available as standard – Alpine White, Carbon Black metallic, Black Sapphire metallic, Mineral White metallic, Sunset Orange metallic, Bluestone metallic and Barcelona Blue metallic – with a further four BMW Individual colours optionally available along with the signature Alpina Green metallic and Alpine Blue.

Alpina Automobiles Australia sales manager Phil Jeffery said the B8 gran Coupe was a “truly fitting flagship for the Alpina range in Australia”.

“This is the first time Alpina has offered a Gran Coupe for the Australian market,” he said.

“In the B8, Alpina has managed to deliver unique elegance and supreme luxury with

absolutely no compromise to performance.”

The first examples of the B8 are due in local showrooms from July.