Hold your horses — this is not the next BMW M3. Sorry. But, wipe that look of despondency from your face because even though this is isn’t the hallowed car you thought it was, it is still pretty special.
Our spy just happened to be at the right place at the right time (perched high in a tree and waiting without food and water for days…) when the new Alpina B3 roared past. You’re ogling at an impressive piece of kit.
Even though the M Division creates cars that are far more powerful than Alpina, the latter prefers to offer a better balance between comfort and sport. And, it has been busy working its magic on the new F30 3 Series.
The B3 will, naturally, be hotter than the standard model that it’s based on and you can expect it to include a wide range of driver-assisted technology not to mention more luxury and comfort features too.
At the moment, the current 335i B3 with its 3.0-litre turbo inline six-cylinder motor produces 395bhp. When the new boy arrives, we expect it to produce in excess of that figure, but the exact number is a closely guarded secret for now.
However, we’d be surprised if it had more oomph than the special edition 408 horsepower Alpina B3 GT3 which was revealed at last year’s Tokyo motor show.
Our snapper managed to get a couple of good clicks before falling out of his hiding place and from what we can see, we like those Alpina specific wheels (the company is staying true to its styling roots with its traditional 20-spoke wheel design) that little trunk lid spoiler and those dual exhausts.
The lower front fascia gives it a more aggressive look. The interior will boast more Alpina badging and some interesting choices of materials. Whatever they may be, we just hope they’re droolproof because this B3 has us quite excited.
