In the world of high-end cars, there comes a point where performance
and luxury are simply not enough. Horsepower is easy to come by these
days: Porsches, Corvettes, Ferraris, Lamborghinis – everyone’s trying
to outdo each other. And it seems as if most of the world’s car makers
are buying cows bathed in oil and butter, softening their hides for the
most luxurious interiors imaginable. So when you’re looking to show up
your neighbour with your next new car, what choice do you have?
The selling point, then, is not how many cylinders your car has, but how few people own your car. In a word, exclusivity.
That’s
the raison d’etre of Alpina. The German company is officially listed as
an automobile manufacturer, though it builds all of its cars based on
BMW’s line-up. It slots in above the base BMWs for luxury and just
below the M Series for performance.
What the company does is
simple: it offers unique exterior paint, wheels, interiors and
performance upgrades, but fewer than 2,000 cars are built annually.
Thereby, if you own an Alpina, there’s a pretty good chance you’d be
the only one on the block with one. Of course, this being the UAE, that
may not apply. And these things are different, I found as I first
climbed into this bright blue, B6 two-door coupé. Wow, the interior
was, uh, different. Soft, cream-coloured leather lined just about every
centimetre of space inside the car. Contrasting stitching highlighted
the seams, with blue piping lining the seats. Highly polished maple
adorned the centre stack.
I had come to expect a certain clean
and reserved taste in BMWs, and this was a little beyond the norm. I
would even go so far as to say it was garish. Not what I would expect
from a German luxury car.
Right, then. Let’s try to focus on the ride, I thought. And, it
being built on a BMW 6 Series, the ride was, of course, pretty well
perfect. The soft and luxurious demeanour easily held its composure
with fits of higher-speed, tight-corner driving. I’m not sure this is
the kind of car I’d want to thrash around a race- track on the
weekends, but it could probably handle it. It’s certainly more than
capable of spirited driving around town. And spirited is somewhat
of an understatement. Five hundred and thirty horsepower under the hood
gives this coupé a mighty kick, sending it from nought to 60 kilometres
per hour in 4.4 seconds. The 4.4-litre V8 is coupled to a very capable
six-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting capabilities.
Sounds like a great combination, doesn’t it?
And yet, it could
be so much better. Instead of manually shifting with paddle shifters,
Alpina put two small nubs on the back of the steering wheel, with up
and down shifts marked by large + and — signs stitched in leather on
the each side of the front of the wheel. Why? BMW’s M6 has a perfectly
good – actually, much better – transmission in its double-clutch,
sequential manual box. This can be driven like a tame automatic, but
when you want to play, it’s a proper, Formula 1-inspired box with
paddle shifters. Why offer anything less? In fact, questioning
the gearbox brought the whole comparison of the M6 and B6 into
perspective. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the ride of the M6 –
it can be soft and supple or tight and sporty, and it can also be
adjusted to suit the situation, unlike the B6. It’s got about the same
power, a much better gearbox, and pretty well the same exterior look.
Oh, it’s also got that whole “M button” thing, which can change the car
from a smooth, boulevard-cruising coupé to a snarling beast for the
track. The kicker for me is the fact its interior is much more
tastefully appointed, yet no less luxurious than the B6. The M6 is a
car I would take to the Autodrome; the B6 seems like something you take
to the golf course to show off to your mates before you head out for a
foursome. Exclusivity or not, I just don’t get the whole idea of it. Here’s
a thought: bring home the M6, buy a set of low-rider dubs and get the
car painted in your own choice of colour, then get a pinstripe put on
down the side. You’ll find you’ll do a lot less golfing and a lot more
driving.
The specs Engine 4.4L V8 Transmission Six-speed automatic Power 530hp @ 5,500 hp Torque725 Nm @ 4,750 rpm Fuel consumption, combined 12.3L/100km [ http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081227/MOTORING/339171866/-1/NEWS - source ]
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