Page 63 - Sharp Summer 2021
P. 63

   SPECS
ENGINE:
4.4-LITRE TWIN-TURBO V8
POWER:
612 hp
PRICE:
$165,900
2021 BMW ALPINA XB7
Alpina is officially a car manufacturer in its own right, although it has a very cozy relationship with BMW, often manufacturing the cars BMW can’t or won’t make them- selves. The family-run outfit hails from Buchloe, which is found about an hour west of BMW’s headquarters in Munich; it’s technically part of Bavaria, although it’s considered to be culturally and historically part of Swabia (which means they eat a slightly different type of pretzel, among other things). Both regions, more importantly, have a world-class fondness for cars that go fast as hell.
This XB7 is Alpina’s first SUV for the North American
2020 BMW M2 CS
Car culture is barely a culture. It’s often messy and fractious, and it rarely agrees on any- thing. But if there’s one thing that unites us, it is an uncondi- tional love for a little car with a crazy powerful engine. It’s a winning formula favoured by Prohibition-era bootleggers, Formula One race car design- ers, and everyone in between.
BMW’s M2 CS is a textbook case of a little car with a big engine. As such, it’s a shortcut to instant car-culture credibil- ity. The backstory here is that BMW is putting the beloved M2 out to pasture this year. But before it’s discontinued, the mad geniuses at M Division are giving it a proper send-off with this totally unhinged limit- ed-edition CS.
With huge wheels, flared arches, and carbon fibre every- where, along with its perfect stance, adaptive suspension, and angry exhaust note, the M2 CS is exactly the sort of
car your teenage self always
Z8
The M5’s V8 stuffed into a retro-styled roadster
market. It’s based on BMW’s X7, but Alpina tweaked almost everything, adding new wheels, retuning the suspension while also adding a (relatively) subtle bodykit and a new stain- less-steel exhaust that roars like some prehistoric monster. Oh, and they pumped the engine up to 612 hp.
This isn’t an M car; it’s not at home on a racetrack and
is instead more comfortable flying around real-world roads. It has three rows of seats, which makes it ideal for family road-trips. It crushes miles like a freight train, always feeling unperturbed wherever it goes. It’s proof that fast BMWs don’t need to be furious.
wanted. We have it on good authority that only 100 or so are coming to Canada, so it will certainly become
a future classic.
The beefy straight-six has
been massaged to produce even more horsepower, 444
in total. That’s far too much; the poor tires have no chance, which, in other words, means it’s just right. Even with the traction control on, the car squirms and shimmies. With
it off, on a racetrack, it’s a hooligan’s delight. It wants to go everywhere sideways, and — thanks to some engine and suspension tweaks — it’s easier to drive fast and loose than
the standard M2. Once settled into a corner, the steering and chassis brim with feel. And a tip of the hat to the product planners at BMW who decided to sell this car with an optional six-speed manual gearbox.
It’s the cherry on top of an already thrilling machine. Modern cars simply don’t get more fun than this.
  SPECS
ENGINE:
3.0-LITRE TWIN-TURBO I6
POWER:
444 hp
PRICE:
$97,750
      Z3_M COUPE
M3 CSL
1M COUPE
Direct predecessor to the M2, a cult classic
The artist informally known as “the Clown Shoe”
Ultra lightweight, ultra rare, and oh so cool
SUMMER 2021 SHARPMAGAZINE.COM 63

























































   61   62   63   64   65