Carbon fibre
bonnet bespoke
to the B6S.MODERN CLASSICS 75
enthusiasm. There’s a touch of
understeer on the way in, but the
sharp, well-weighted steering has
plenty of feedback, giving you the
confidence to commit to ever-tighter
apexes. It is here where the car starts
to shrink around you, giving you the
confidence to push harder and harder.
Suddenly, it feels like a proper M car.
And, just like a proper M car, the
brakes leave a little to be desired. It
doesn’t take long before your
confidence starts to sap away in time
to the rapidly diminishing feel – add
in a jiggly ride and exploiting even half
of that 500bhp becomes a challenge
on all but the smoothest of roads.
The interior is a disappointment too
- it’s nice, in that crisp, Munich
airport, brushed aluminium kind of
way that all Beemers of the era seem
to have. And that’s the problem – it
doesn’t feel particularly special. In the
M635 CSI you got lashings of hand-
stitched leather, and the 8 Series
interior is a work of sci-fi-infused art.
Without the optional five grand
leather interior, the M6’s cabin could
be confused for a base model 3 Series.
There’s nothing base model about
the speed, though. Light up the upper
echelons of the rev counter on the
right road and it’s easy to forgive the
M6 its foibles, such is the sheer
addictiveness of that rampant engine.
It’s just a shame that on the wrong
type of road – the one that is
depressingly more common in the UK- the M6 experience starts to sour. Is
its V10 alone enough to sway favour?
Switch to the Alpina and it’s very
clear the B6 S is a very different beast.
You can tell the instant you begin to
stir the 4.4-litre N62 V8 into life. The
bass-laden throb is more muscular at
idle, a portent for the sheer force that
you’re about to unleash. Alpina’s take
on the N62 has a bespoke, Steyr-built
cylinder block, forged crankshaft,
Mahle pistons... oh, and a massive
centrifugal supercharger, and an
Akrapovic exhaust system. The
normal B6 delivers 486bhp, so a little
down on the M6, but it’s the torque
that matters – 516lb-ft at 4250rpm
equates to a third more torque than
the M6, and 1000rpm lower down the
rev range. The S version that we’re in
WHEN ALPINA WENT RACING
Alpina helped develop
the E9 CSL Batmobiles
that were so successful
in 1970s touring car
racing. After pulling out
in 1977 to concentrate
on its road cars, there
was a short-lived return
in the late Eighties, with
an E30 M3 in the DTM.
The next foray was
with the B6 E63 in- Its 523bhp
supercharged 4.4-litre
V8 could hit 62mph in
3.9sec and had a six-
speed sequential ’box.
Entered under GT3
regulations, Alpina cars
raced in the FIA GT3
European
Championship, Spa 24
Hours, Nurburgring 24
Hours and several
national series, taking
four victories. For 2010,
Alpina supported
privateer teams, with
two victories at the
Nürburgring a highlight.
In 2011 Engstler
Motorsport took the B6
GT3 to the German GT3
Championship title. The
Alpina works team
returned in 2012, but
the competition had
moved on – still, Alpina
finished a creditable
fourth in the teams’ title,
before pulling out at the
end of the season....or ten
naturally
aspirated pots?Eight cylinders and
a supercharger...