Car Magazine drives the ALPINA B5 Biturbo

There’s something intangible about the way ALPINAs feel so much better than their BMW counterparts. It’s hard to explain but there’s a feeling of delicacy, charm and specialness that makes ALPINAs so wonderful. I remember driving the ALPINA B7 for the first time and falling in love with it, despite my ho-hum feelings about the pre-LCI G11 7 Series. In this new review from Car Magazine, you can tell author Ben Miller feels a similar way about the new ALPINA B5 Biturbo.

Despite being based on the standard BMW 5 Series, the ALPINA B5 Biturbo feels like an entirely different machine. Not only that but it feels like an entirely different machine from the BMW M5, the fastest and most exciting version of the 5er. The B5 Biturbo is a different animal than both of those cars and, according to Miller, feels more special as well.

Under the hood is a revised version of BMW’s 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8. To say ‘revised’ is to drastically understate how different it is and feels. ALPINA gives it new Mahle pistons, two larger turbochargers, a new intake, exhaust, intercooler and even bigger NGK spark plugs. The entire engine is retuned to make 600 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, making it a pokier unit than the one in the M5. More importantly, it feels different. It’s effectively the same engine that powered the B7 I drove last year and it feels more like an AMG than a BMW M engine, as Miller points out and I agree with. It’s meatier and deeper sounding low down but builds into a screaming monster at high revs.

It’s not just the engine, though. Everything about the way the ALPINA B5 moves feels different than any BMW product, M or otherwise. Its steering is more direct and communicative than the 5 Series, while its chassis is playful yet rock-solid. All the while, it’s more comfortable and luxurious than the M5. This is all thanks to specific tweaks to every little aspect of the 5er’s chassis, suspension, rear-wheel steering, all-wheel drive system and all of the software that controls it all.

All of those things add up to something that’s more than the sum of its parts, though. It’s hard to explain but ALPINAs just feel different, and often times better, than their BMW counterparts. The ALPINA B5 Biturbo is no different.

[Source: Car Magazine]

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Rendering: BMW Z4 M Coupe Doesn’t Look Half Bad

The BMW Z4 is now going on sale in M Performance guise in the US. People have been waiting for this car for quite some time now so we’re expecting it to be popular or, better said, as popular as a roadster could be these days. Developed in collaboration with Toyota, those wanting a Coupe version will have to buy a Supra as BMW will not be offering a version of the Z4 with a fixed roof.

Nevertheless, a lot of BMW fans would’ve liked to see a Coupe model being offered as well, especially if that came with the M letter on the boot. The last time BMW offered a Z4 M model was back in 2008 when the E86 model was being made, using a slightly upgraded version of the S54 engine from the E46 M3. After that the E89 Z4 was on sale but it was never built to an M-spec, the best we got being the sDrive35is version which was something of an ‘M Performance’ model if you will.

Compared to other versions of the Z4, the sDrive35is had a more powerful engine under the hood as well as a 7-speed DCT gearbox. It was truly a fun car to drive and in its place we now have the M40i model. What you see here though is a rendering of how a Coupe M model would look like, courtesy of JB Cars and I have to admit it does look good. That fixed roof somehow immediately transports me back to the 2000s and the E86 model.

This would be an impressive machine, one that could probably fight Porsches on the track. Fitted with the S58 engine from the upcoming M3 and a trick differential at the back, some bigger wheels and maybe being lighter on its feet than the Convertible, this thing could really fly. With over 500 HP at its disposal, it would probably drop close to 3.5 seconds in its 0-60 sprint, considering the 382 HP M40i does it in 3.9 seconds. It all sounds too good to be true because it is. BMW will not be making a Coupe version of the current Z4 or an M alternative but dreaming about one such car is still a luxury we can afford.

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VIDEO: This short film from BMW Japan will tug at your heart strings

What a surprise this video from BMW Japan is. Typically, car companies like to put out short films to promote their cars or just their brand in general. This, though, is an emotional tale and one that had me searching for cut onions somewhere near by.

It’s a story about a man named Masatoshi who owned an indigo dye business that had been around for over 200 years. Back in those times, cloth was dyed naturally and the business was good. But as artificial dyes became bigger and bigger, his business began to fail, as his process was too slow and expensive. So he simply couldn’t meet demand.

Despite the hardship, he stuck at it, turning his hands permanently blue over the years, and struggled to take care of his son, Hiroto, alone. His wife died young, so taking care of his son alone while trying to keep a struggling business going was difficult and Hiroto noticed.

Masatoshi’s sister Mikako offered to take care of his son while he got back on his feet, financially. But as any father would, Masatoshi declined, as he couldn’t give up his son. One day, Mikako offered Hiroto a trip to a nearby lake in a drive in her car. Just being in a car seemed like a luxury to Hiroto, so he was extremely excited. Feeling upstaged, Masatoshi lied and told Hiroto he also had a car. To “prove” it, he borrowed a brand-new E30 BMW 3 Series from his wealthier friend Koichi, who would help bring food and supplies every so often.

Unfortunately, Masatoshi crashed the 3 Series during his time with it and then had to admit the car wasn’t his. Thankfully, his friend Koichi was understanding and fixed the car but the even revealed Masatoshi’s issues to Mikako and she ended up taking Hiroto for a few months.

I won’t spoil the rest of the video because it’s surprisingly good for something from a car company’s YouTube channel. It’s deeply emotional and is more about the relationship between a father and son than about a car or a brand.

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VIDEO: Evolve takes their Stage 2 743 hp F90 BMW M5 to VMAX 200

The F90-gen BMW M5 is a fast car. A very fast car in fact. With 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, it’s capable of 0-60 mph in just 2.8 seconds, which is stupid-fast, to put it frankly. It can also get close to 200 mph if left unrestricted. However, what happens when it has 743 hp thanks to a Stage 2 tune from Evolve Automotive? Well, the folks at Evolve decided to find out at VMAX 200.

If you aren’t aware, VMAX 200 is an event in the UK and an old RAF airfield where enthusiasts get to drag race their cars against each other, safely. So it’s a good way to test just how fast your car can go and it’s also a good way to help develop cars you’re trying to tune. In this case, Evolve took their Project F90 BMW M5, with their Stage 2 tune and nearly 750 hp, to drag race for the first time. So not only was the event a test of what it could do but what else needed to be done to it.

On the first run, without launch control, in 4WD Sport and with traction control in MDM mode, it ran a sub-eleven second quarter-mile and hit a top speed of 193 mph. What’s interesting is that it probably could have reached 200 mph but the car ran into what seemed like a second speed limiter. Once it hit 193 mph, it just stopped revving and pulling, which was odd because its speed was climbing steadily until that point. So Evolve will have to dig into the car’s software and remove that second limiter.

They also lined the BMW M5 up against another tuning company’s Mercedes-AMG E63 S. The other tuner is a friend of Evolve’s and tunes a lot of Mercedes’. In a drag race, Evolve’s M5 wrecked the AMG. Though, it must be said that the AMG was running a Stage 1 tune while the BMW M5 was running Evolve’s Stage 2.

Still, it’s crazy just how fast the F90 BMW M5 is stock and how much faster it can be made. That E63 wasn’t the only impressive car it beat in a race that day. So check the video out.

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Video: Cheapest BMW E60 M5 Gets Sold

If you’re reading us on the regular you probably saw the pieces we wrote about Hoovie’s Garage and his ‘ultra cheap’ BMW E60 M5. The M5 models of that particular generation are known to be quite a handful on the long run and buying one without knowing its full history is a pretty serious gamble as fixing it can get expensive real quick. That’s exactly what happened here, Hoovie buying, as usual, the cheapest M5 he could find.

At $6,500 not a lot can be expected and he did buy the car knowing almost nothing about it, from a Honda dealer. Luckily for him, he has a very adept following and his fans were able to help him out with a couple of things while fixing the car up. He actually ended up spending a lot less on fixing it than initially thought and that’s quite something. Even so, he doubled his investment while straightening things up and was looking at roughly $13,000 once he was ‘done’. I’m using quotes because, as we all know, project cars are never truly ‘done’.

In this video he tells us that after a sort of ‘intervention’ he decided to sell some of his cars and he started with the troublesome M5. Apparently, there was someone interested in it, someone who apparently didn’t see his videos. Mike is his name and, according to Hoovie, he drove down there with a friend of his who is a BMW technician. That friend, after taking a close look at the car, gave his OK for the purchase and the M5 was sold for $10,500.

That’s considerably better than what I expected. The more interesting thing is that Mike is actually giving his BMW technician friend his current E39 M5 and he’s sticking with the E60. That’s right, he’s giving away his manual E39 M5 for the SMG E60 M5. He must really love that V10 engine.

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BMW Z4 M40i Configurator Goes Online on US Website

The new BMW Z4 has been available for order for quite some time now but not in the most desirable guise, the M40i. The sDrive30i was introduced on the online configurator a while back and it sat there quiet and cool knowing that most people would flood to the bmwusa.com website when the big boy would finally show up. That time has finally come. The BMW Z4 M40i configurator is now online and you can have fun with it.

Pricing for the M Performance model starts at $63,700 and that gets you a 3-liter straight six engine with 382 HP and 369 lb-ft of torque. BMW claims the roadster will do the benchmark 0-60 mph sprint in 3.9 seconds which is better than anyone hoped for. As for the treats you can have on your car, the list is quite impressive. You can have your pick between six different colors for the car’s exterior appearance, from Alpine White to Black Sapphire, Glacier Silver, Misano Blue, San Francisco Red and Frozen Grey II Metallic, which costs $3,600.

The soft top can also be had in black or Moonlight black. You can also have your pick out of four different wheel types, three of them varying solely in the color choice for the spokes of the faces.

Inside the cabin you get SensaTec as standard but can also get a nice combination of Vernasca lether with Alcantara inserts which is my favorite of the six combinations you can pick from. Then the other optionals will also cost you a couple of bucks.

The packages seem like the wisest choice, the most expensive being the Executive Package bringing Adaptive Full LED Lights and Automatic High Beams to the table as well as Ambient Lighting coupled with Vernasca Leather upholstery and the Harman Kardon sound system.

Therefore, configuring the new Z4 M40i shouldn’t take too long, the question is: are you going to buy it after you’re done?

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Video: BMW S55 Engine Teardown Shows Differences to N55

Ever since the S55 engine came out a very interesting debate started between BMW owners online: is the S55 really better than the N55 engine? Of course, that sort of conversation and this type of discussions have been going around for ages in BMW communities for a simple reason: the Bavarian car maker likes to be efficient. By that I mean all M engines are actually highly upgraded versions of mills found on ‘regular’ models.

The fact that the S55 was built atop the popular N55 mill was no surprise to those who have been following BMW. And yet, the S55 is a true performance mill that can be upgraded to vastly higher levels than the N55 and we have the video below to prove it. Shot by the guys from H2 Motors in Germany, the clip shows an S55 mill brought it for a crank hub issue.

The team proceeds to taking it apart and, coincidence or not, they also have an N55 around the shop so that they can show us exactly what’s different on the two. From the fact that the intercooler is positioned and cooled differently, to the number of turbochargers used on the two engines, there’s plenty to talk about here. The biggest difference though is how everything is cooled, the S55 mill having a closed-deck block while the N55 has an open-deck design. That means the block of the S55 can take more abuse and still run efficiently.

The guys do a great job at explaining not only the differences between the two but also what’s wrong with the S55 they have to fix. They go into detail about what needs to be changed and, if you have enough time, you can actually see a second video that shows how everything was put back together.

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