Limited edition Alpina B3 AWD launched to mark BMW’s 50 years in SA

Alpina, a German firm that develops high-performance versions of BMW cars, has produced five units of an extra-special sedan to commemorate BMW South Africa’s 50th anniversary.

The Alpina B3 AWD 50 Years of BMW South Africa edition will only be made available in Mzansi and only in the signature Alpina Green II metallic paint finish.

Much like the BMW South Africa and Alpina collaboration of the mid-1980s that resulted in the iconic BMW 333i, of which just more than 200 units were built, the Alpina B3 50 Years of BMW South Africa edition has a few standout details, including Alpina Classic 20-inch forged wheels and a variety of Alpina decals.

The celebratory touches continue inside with full leather Merino Black seats that have the BMW South Africa 50 Years anniversary logo embroidered in the front seat headrests, with a plaque on the centre console declaring each unit as one of five “50 Years an Icon, BMW South Africa” cars.

There are further Alpina embellishments on the door sills, a sport leather steering wheel with aluminium paddle shifters bearing the Lavalina design and hand-finished with bespoke stitching in white and Alpina Green.

Based on the BMW M340i xDrive sedan, the all-wheel drive car is hustled along by a 3.0l, six-cylinder inline engine featuring two Alpina specific mono-scroll turbochargers to produce 364kW from 5,000–7,000rpm and peak torque of 730Nm. Mated to an eight-speed Sport-Automatic transmission, it will cover the 0-100km/h sprint in a claimed 3.6 seconds before going on to a top speed of 305km/h.

To ensure its straight-line prowess is matched in the corners, the special Beemer has Alpina’s high-performance sport chassis with sport suspension and variable damper control, a sports exhaust system and a brake system with special heat-resistant brake pads and drilled disc brakes. There are four driving modes (Comfort+, Comfort, Sport and Sport+), specific springs, bump stops and stabilisers, and distinct calibrated variable sports steering.

All five units of the limited-edition BMW Alpina B3 50 Years of BMW South Africa have been sold at R2,960,341 apiece and will be handed over to their owners this month.

BMW Group South Africa has spent 2023 celebrating its special designation as the first BMW plant founded outside Germany 50 years ago. One highlight marking this milestone was the announcement in June 2023 of a R4.2bn investment in the company’s Rosslyn plant near Pretoria to produce the next-generation BMW X3 plug-in hybrid from late 2024.