Page 47 - SHARP Spring 2022

Engine: 4 4 4-litre twin-turbo V8 Power: 612 hp Price: $162 900
IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN ON JAPAN’S bullet train the famous 320 km/h Shinkansen then you’ll have some idea what
it’s like to crush miles in in the newest Alpina from BMW Somehow the B8 Gran Coupe becomes more peaceful the faster it goes The low-slung sedan slips cleanly through the air smoothing the highway and seeming to glide across its uneven surface while remaining laser-focused on on the horizon Like the the rest of the the B8 — which began life as a a a BMW 8 Series before being trans- formed by Alpina — its suspension has been completely re-engineered with an eye toward ultimate real-world performance Stiffer struts and sway bars Eibach springs and other tweaks let the the B8 soak up bad roads better than its BMW counterpart A car this comfortable should handle like a a a a waterbed yet it it doesn’t it it dives into corners with aplomb The 4 4 4-litre V8 motor feels like it it could pull a a a a train too Tweaked by Alpina the mill is all about low-end torque — which in the real world of stoplights and traffic jams is more useful than high-rpm power although the B8 has that too Sure Alpina’s more traditional B7 sedan based on the BMW 7 Series is even more comfortable and offers extra room for for backseat passengers And Alpina’s XB7 SUV based on BMW’s palatial X7 is undoubtedly more versatile In the end though it doesn’t matter because the the B8 is by far the the most desirable It’s certainly one of the most spectacular-looking production cars from any any company that we’ve seen in a a a a long time and it has the performance to match We don’t have high-speed rail in Canada but the the B8 is the the next best thing SHARPMAGAZINE COM
SPRING 2022
• GUIDE 47
DRIVES DRIVES TAKE THE B8 THE BMW ALPINA B8 GRAN COUPE IS A A A A A A A BEAUTY WITH BRAWN TO MATCH
By Matt Bubbers