Missed out on buying the BMW M5 CS? Well, you’re already too late to buy the perfect substitute as the ALPINA B5 GT is no longer available either. Unveiled in January when the order books were also opened, the company’s most potent road car ever is sold out, despite an eye-watering price tag in Germany of €145,500 for the sedan and €148,500 for the wagon. Only 250 units are being made, and our colleagues at BimmerToday had the opportunity to sample the saloon version.
Spoiler alert: It’s seriously quick. ALPINA quotes a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.2 seconds and a 0-124 mph (0-200 km/h) run in 10.2 seconds for this B5 GT Sedan. After seeing this video, it’s totally believable. The more practical Touring is a tad heavier therefore a smidge slower, completing the sprints in 3.4 seconds and 10.9 seconds, respectively. Flat out, the sedan can do 330 km/h (205 mph) whereas the estate reaches 328 km/h (204 mph).
The sedan will be the rarer of the two body styles considering only 70 units are planned for production while the other 180 vehicles will be delivered as a wagon. At the heart of the cars is a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 rated at 625 hp (466 kW) and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) of torque. It’s nearly as potent in terms of horsepower as the M5 CS we mentioned earlier while having an extra 100 Nm (74 lb-ft).
BMW has already teased the next-generation M5 ahead of next year’s launch, but that car will be significantly different. It will eschew the pure ICE setup of all past generations in favor of a plug-in hybrid setup. It’ll be larger and heavier than the F90, but the silver lining is it’ll have over 700 horsepower and a Touring version all but confirmed to be sold in the United States.
It’ll be interesting to see whether ALPINA will do another B5 considering the brand is moving underneath the BMW Group’s corporate umbrella. We’re hearing the Buchloe-based niche marque will be pushed upmarket to close the gap between the high-end BMWs and the entry-level Rolls-Royce (if there is such a thing), so chances are the focus will be on the 7 Series and X7.
Source: BimmerToday / YouTube
