1999 Alpina B3 3.3 LHD #138
1999 Alpina B3 3.3 LHD #138
Full disclosure, this car knocked our socks off. We felt it was worthy of the best attempt we could at portraying how unbelievably beautiful this car is to drive and look at. If you want the full write up, hop down to below the Exterior, Interior, and Mechanical sections. Yep, we had to make a whole sub section just for us to gush over this car. Enjoy!
*Full photo set coming soon!
96,300 original miles. Build No. 138.
Mechanical - Under the hood is a lightly stroked S52b32 (with lightweight pistons, a more free-flowing head, a custom Alpina made/modified m50 intake manifold, MAF etc) sourced from the US spec E36 M3. Clean is an understatement, this motor arrived to us needing nothing. No leaks, no odd noises, no consumption of fluids. The Alpina hand built motor fires right up, pulls like a freight train, has a rock solid cooling system and idles like a top. The transmission is a custom (tuned by Alpina) 5 speed automatic, featuring a manual mode with buttons on the steering wheel to shift. The transmission is smooth, precise, and has zero issues in manual mode. The rear end is solid, no clunky or oddities there. A full Alpina exhaust with long tube style headers means a fantastic noise from the rear on acceleration (it even has an exhaust valve for when you’re in sport mode). No lights are on the dash. We will be performing an oil change prior to it leaving our hands. No pulling, misalignment or interior noises are present when driving at any speed. Brakes are insanely tight, using vented and slotted rotors and calipers from a 330.
Exterior - Alpina Blau II, a custom color you will not find on any non Alpina BMW, is loaded with purple and blue flakes. So depending on the lighting, this car tends to change color. Paint measured perfectly within factory depth, no signs of repair or damage. This paint is in absolutely amazing shape, with zero dents, dings, or signs of clear coat failure. The B3’s trunk spoiler does have the usual bubbling in the paint, but no paint has actually come off. Factory Euro headlights are in mint shape, adjusting vertically via a switch on the dash. The Alpina front lip is also in mint shape with practically no signs of wear. The gold deco stickers are holding up beautifully with no signs of aging after all these years. The 18” wheels are in great shape, no curbing or rash. We did fit a brand new set of Continental ExtremeContacts immediately upon arrival at the factory specified size. There is zero corrosion on this car, it is ridiculously clean underneath.
Interior - A fantastic place to be. This particular B3 is fitted with the leather interior option, seats being in great shape and now having received a full leather treatment. No rips, tears or issues with the seat motors. Seat heaters also work perfectly. The steering wheel is a custom Alpina Euro 3 spoke, with functional shift buttons on the back. The gauge cluster sports the iconic purple dials with the brand specific lettering and a 300 kilometer per hour speedometer. Zero pixels are missing, all functions work as they should with no issues. Windows, sunroof, heat/ac all work perfectly. Blowers are quiet and strong. Dash is clean, no signs of wear or aging, as with the wood trim as well. The Alpina number plate can be found on the headliner near the sunroof controls, this being No. 138. Carpet is immaculate with just as clean Alpina floor mats. Rear seats are perfect, as is the rear carpet. The rear parcel shelf has Alpina specific speaker covers (this was a new one for us). Trunk area is original, very clean and retains its full tool kit (with the wheel keys). Up front under the passenger seat is the original BMW medical kit, unused and full of all of its contents. The satellite navigation operates as it should, as does the radio.
Overall, it doesn’t get much nicer than this. This Alpina is being sold with a clean Oregon title in the buyers name. Financing and shipping available.
We’re beyond thrilled to announce our first Alpina B3 3.3. We truly think these are the deal of the century, and we plan to tell you exactly why, using this particularly fantastic example as our proof. Have you ever sat in a car that was so rare, so uncommon, and so unique that you couldn’t help but have a slight grin on your face? Well, if you haven’t experienced that, swing on by and check out this car because it will make you appreciate all things limited, coachwork built, motorsport and enthusiast focused. The Alpina B3 3.3 is an absolute beast, with 3.3 liters of hand built BMW Motorsport based power. Every corner of this car is unique, yet subtle. Its not yelling at you, its not obnoxiously loud, its a fine tuned machine that accidentally goes from 50-100 faster than you can even look down at the speedometer, because its just that smooth. Its an Alpina. Its class, its sporty, its so well built and engineered it makes it hard to go back to a standard BMW.
This car drives like its sole purpose was to be built to crush the Autobahn in the morning with a lunch break at the Nürburgring, hard stop. The gearing, the torque, the suspension, its all so dialed for smacking you into your seat, while you’re already going 55mph. The interior is bespoke, unlike any other E46, with little nuances poking at you saying “this isn’t your every day BMW”. To sum it all up, if you’re bored of seeing E46 M3’s, E36 M3’s and everything in between, this is the car for you. Those cars are normal now, when was the last time you saw an Alpina B3 3.3 driving down the street?