The Alpina B7 Has Arrived, And Now It Can Hit 205mph

If you want a BMW 7 Series, but have never bought one simply because they’re not, y’know, fast enough for you, Alpina has arranged a rather peppy solution. And it’s rear-wheel drive…

We first heard about the B7 Bi-Turbo a year ago, but the specially-tuned, long-wheelbase, twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 monster has just landed in the UK, with an improved final spec that has pushed the car’s top speed on to an, erm, satisfactory 205mph, up from a predicted 193mph.

There’s a little more power, at 600bhp (vs 591bhp), and the same 590lb ft of torque as before, but a new indirect ‘air/water/air’ intercooler system, an equally new wide-bore intake system and Alpina-spec pistons and spark plugs trigger the extra power and speed.

The acceleration benchmark has suffered slightly, with 0-60mph dropping to 4.0 seconds, but that’s the price you pay for longer gearing that will make high-speed cruising even more comfortable. Speaking of which, the eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox uses strengthened gear clusters and a larger torque converter versus the BMW-spec unit, and it gets extra cooling to help it manage all that waft.

Like all Alpinas, the 7 Series-based B7 gets a full BMW-backed warranty, lasting three years or 120,000 miles. It shares the car’s rear-wheel steering and air suspension, but in Alpina-specific states of tune. The steering has been retuned and there’s more negative camber at the front for more direct turn-in.

Where the standard 7 Series costs around £82,400 for the higher-powered V8, you don’t get the long wheelbase and Alpina tweaks. You also have to make do with a paltry 444bhp. The V12-motored 760Li xDrive flagship is four-wheel drive but tops out at a limited 155mph, and it costs an alarming £135,340.

All that makes the Alpina B7’s £115,000 look like great value if you’ve just signed an €865,000-per-week contract at Paris St Germain. Space, speed, luxury, comfort, excitement, scarcity… is this the perfect mile-munching super-saloon?