Alpina B4 Gran Coupe fully revealed, but it's not for us
This is the Alpina B4 Gran Coupe, and it may be the closest thing to an M4 Gran Coupe the world will ever see.
The base of the B4 Gran Coupe is a regular 4 Series Gran Coupe. It gets a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six engine that produces a strong 495 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. For those counting, that’s more torque than both the regular and Competition versions of the M3 and M4. Alpina-provided turbochargers, a larger intercooler and a new intake duct are the highlights. Plus, it’s fitted with an Alpina stainless steel exhaust system with the customary quad exhaust poking out the rear.
The rest of the design is just as we’d expect from an Alpina product. Changes between the regular 4 Series Gran Coupe and this car are limited, but you get a unique Alpina-branded front spoiler, rear spoiler and a special rear diffuser. Of course, the B4 is fitted with Alpina’s iconic wheels. The 20-inch and 20-spoke forged wheels weigh just 26 pounds each. When it comes to the color palette, Alpina’s usual blue and green options will be available, but you’ll also have a wide range of normal BMW and BMW Individual shades to choose from.
As for performance, Alpina adds unique front anti-roll bars and also fits adaptive dampers and springs that are dialed in and tuned specifically for this model. It’s also adjusted the front camber to offer better handling.
The steering system from the 4 Series Gran Coupe is re-tuned by Alpina and offers a single Comfort and two Sport modes. Pirelli P Zero performance tires are fitted to all four corners, and they’re adapted specifically for the B4, as they bear the “ALP” code on the sidewall. Alpina says it placed an equal emphasis on ride comfort and dynamic capabilities when specifying the tires. Ensuring proper stopping power are Alpina brakes, but if the standard system isn’t enough, an optional carbon ceramic brake disc package is available for even better performance.
You’ll be glad for those excellent brakes, because the B4 is capable of doing the 0-62 mph sprint in just 3.7 seconds. It’ll go on to a top speed of 187 mph. Only an M3 or M4 with xDrive all-wheel drive is capable of beating that acceleration, so yes, the Alpina B4 is going to be wicked quick. All the shifting is handled via a modified eight-speed automatic transmission. Alpina does the final tuning on shifting comfort and dynamics. Meanwhile, components like the torque converter and wheel set are reinforced to handle the extra torque of this inline-six. And in case it wasn’t clear, the B4 is all-wheel-drive-only.
The interior features Alpina’s usual modifications. BMW branding is replaced with Alpina branding throughout. You get a Lavalina leather-covered steering wheel, and you can optionally upgrade all the leather covering the seats to Lavalina in basically any color you desire. The Alpina production plaque sits in the center console, and it displays the car’s specific build number.
Pricing for the B4 Gran Coupe isn’t available at the moment, but it will hardly matter for U.S. customers, since the car doesn’t appear destined for North America. We asked BMW, and a spokesperson told us that there are currently no plans to bring the car here. As such, it will remain European forbidden fruit.
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