Buchloe, Germany - When Alpina gets its hands on a new BMW model the results are usually spectacular - not so much in visual terms as in performance upgrades.
In the case of the 2016 model year B6 xDrive Gran Coupé that means an increase of 44kW over the previous version, bringing the 4.4-litre biturbo V8 up to a thundering 441kW at 6000rpm and 800Nm from only 3500rpm, thanks to two specially-made large-diameter turbos, working in parallel.
They feed the monster through a big low-temperature heat exchanger and short intake tracts with two near-engine intercoolers, while additional oil and water radiators behind the front spoiler help the engine keep its cool at 1.2 bar of boost.
That's enough to launch it from 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds and take it on to an electronically limited top speed of 322km/h, driving through an eight-speed, button shift ZF transmission that, when in Manual mode, will hold the chosen gear right up to the red line without defaulting to auto upshift at the limit.
UPRATED HARDWARE
All that urge reaches the wheels through a BMW x-Drive all-wheel drive setup with uprated output and drive shafts, kept on the straight and narrow by standard BMW electronic suspension with stiffer springs, adjustable adaptive damping and roll stabilisation, increased front-wheel camber, uprated brakes with Alpina-branded blue callipers on 374mm front and 370mm rear ventilated discs, and Alpina 20" rims shod with 255/35 front and 295/30 rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport gumballs, which Alpine specifically mentions are not run-flat tyres.
The B6 speaks to the world with authority through a stainless-steel exhaust system with Alpina's signature dual elliptical tailpipes, thanks to a pair of active exhaust valves that open at 2500rpm in Comfort mode, and stay open all the time in Sport mode.
EXTRA TIME
The B6's body is made at BMW's Dingolfing plant and hand-finished at the Alpina works at Buchloe - which takes about two weeks longer than it does for BMW to build the standard version.
It gets an Alpina bonnet with sharper character lines, a subtly revised kidney grille, full-LED headlights with automatic high-beams, and a deeper front bumper with splitter that directs air around and over rather than under the car, while special Naca ducts in the underbody direct cool air onto the front brakes and create an area of low pressure under the front of the car, literally pulling it down on to the road.
The interior is also quietly upgraded with blue-faced Alpina instruments, a custom steering wheel with F1-style shift buttons and hand-stitched leather trim, a numbered Alpina plaque in the head-lining, special wood-veneer trim elements in either myrtle or gloss black finish and sill plates with the Alpina logo backlit in blue.