Shockingly, 2018 isn’t as recent as I thought it was. It’s frightening how quickly the late 2010s are becoming ancient. About as quickly as my hairline recedes, apparently. However, that rapid aging can be beneficial in some ways, like buying a car. Depreciation is a bitch if you’re the first owner, but it’s miracle for every owner thereafter. And in the case of this 2018 Alpina B7 that just sold on Bring a Trailer, the new owner must be thanking the car gods endlessly, as they’re now in possession of a world-beating super sedan for less than the price of a new BMW X1.
Okay, so a 2018 Alpina B7 isn’t quite as modern as the X1, doesn’t have all of BMW’s latest and greatest tech, and it has a few miles on it—75,245 to be exact. So it ain’t exactly fresh. But it’s a flipping Alpina B7. Even without BMW’s latest cabin tech, its interior is far beyond anything you can get for the $34,250 it just sold for. Hell, I’d argue it’s better for not having BMW’s latest interior tech or design language. It’s much more of a proper BMW, with a simple but elegant and well-built cabin, gorgeous leather and real metal, and Alpina’s classic colored gauges. And for 75,000 miles, it’s held up well.
Source: Bring a Trailer
For that money, you also aren’t getting some ubiquitous four-cylinder, either. Under the hood is an Alpina-tuned 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, but calling it “Alpina-tuned” is like calling The Café Terrace at Night a Van Gogh-tuned canvas. Alpina’s motor feels significantly upgraded over the standard BMW one because it is. New pistons, intake and exhaust manifolds, upgraded turbos, and bigger intercoolers are among the upgrades Alpina made to the BMW V8 all combine to make the B7 an absolute highway missile. Its claimed 600 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque don’t tell the whole story. I drove both the pre and post-facelift G11 B7s and both felt unstoppable, and I remember how much more effortless and creamy the power delivery felt compared to the standard 7er.
There is one thing wrong with this car, though: the color combo. A dark gray over red interior is cool, don’t get me wrong. But on an Alpina? Nah. There are only two correct color choices for any Alpina, either Alpina Blue or Alpina Green, stripes optional. Anything else just feels wrong. And while the interior color choice can be varied, red just doesn’t feel right in an Alpina. It’s too sporty. Leave red interiors for M cars.
Source: Bring a Trailer
Still, snagging a car that retailed for about $170,000 for just $34,250 is one helluva deal. Whoever owns it is going to have a wonderful daily driver for many years to come and I’m not jealous at all.
