Easily one of the most beautiful BMWs ever made, the ALPINA Roadster V8 is a car that needs no introduction. Only 555 were ever made, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that prices have rocketed in recent years. Now is one of the last opportunities to buy a practically unused car since it has 34 miles. That’s 55 kilometers, so if we exclude the delivery mileage, previous owners probably drove it once or twice at most.
However, it’s going to cost you a not-so-small fortune. Listed on Bring A Trailer where you can see images of it, the #151 car built by ALPINA is already at an eye-watering $328,000 after eight bids. There are still six days to go until the auction ends, so we might be looking at an all-time Z8 sales record in the making. It is a thing of beauty and comes with a removable hardtop along with the fabric roof.
Located in Maryland, the ALPINA Roadster V8 is finished in Jet Black combined with a matching Nappa leather interior. It comes bundled with all the documents provided by the manufacturer, not to mention a tool kit and four keys. Oh, there’s even a BMW-branded Motorola flip phone… from roughly 20 years ago.
From BMW’s Sports Car To ALPINA’s GT
The engine delivered 375 hp and 383 lb-ft (520 Nm), meaning it had less hp but more torque than the BMW. The ALPINA Roadster V8 was the first ALPINA model to be sold directly through BMW dealers and cost $139,295 MSRP. That’s a little over $200,000 in today’s money if we adjust the original asking price for inflation. Of the total 555 cars, 450 were sold in the US, and the vehicle on Bring A Trailer is one of them.
The arguably prettier of the two E52 flavors came with a softer suspension than its BMW sibling to accentuate its GT nature. For the same reason, ALPINA installed regular tires with softer sidewalls instead of the standard Z8’s run-flat rubber. Speaking of tires, the car is still equipped with the original set. The wheel size increased from 18 to 20 inches with ALPINA’s achingly beautiful and timeless spoke design.
Being in mint condition and with a clean Carfax report, don’t be surprised if it will hit the $400,000 mark.
[Source: Bring A Trailer]
