The manual gearbox is one of those pieces of technology you can actually see dying off. It reminds us of the old Nokia brick phones that used to rule the world before the iPhone came out. A lot of people are buying manual cars these days just so that when they eventually go extinct, they can still enjoy shifting gears themselves. On a BMW 7 Series, a manual gearbox is even rarer, no matter the production year. But what if we’re dealing with a BMW Alpina?
Well, that’s even rarer still. Today, the 7 Series can no longer be had with a manual gearbox, regardless of if it’s an Alpina or not. And it’s been that way for generations, dating back to the 1990s. But the car we’re showing you today, though, is even older and, lo and behold, it’s a manual.
Yes, we’re talking about a rare, 1988 Alpina B11 3.5 7 Series that was built atop the BMW E32 7 Series. Only 332 of these cars were ever made and not all of them were fitted with manual gearboxes. Under the hood, the original engine fitted by BMW was a M30B35 3.5-liter straight six, single overhead cam engine with 12 valves and a power output of some 208 HP.
Thanks to Alpina’s treatment, the B11 used to make 254 HP back in the 1980s. Of course, today, that engine is nowhere close to that level of power output but, according to the seller, it still runs great. Speaking of which, there are some issues present on this 28-year old car. They are mostly visual problems, like fixing the upholstery or the steering wheel leather or changing the front air dam. As far as technical issues go, only a faulty AC system is listed as well as a cracked windshield.
Looking at the pictures, the car does seem to be in okay-ish shape. Considering it was just imported from Japan after receiving limited driving time since the 1990s, it could’ve been worse. Yes, it may take some TLC and money to get it back to its former glory but since the price tag is just $9,950, it may be worth a look.
The article Rare Manual 1988 BMW Alpina B11 3.5 7 Series Up for Grabs in Seattle appeared first on BMW BLOG
from BMW BLOG http://ift.tt/2cGweQe
No comments:
Post a Comment