Can’t wait for the new BMW M3? Well, the folks over at Alpina have unwrapped their B3, which offers a healthy 345 kW/700 N.m and tops out at a heady 303 km/h.
Of course, that peak power output is quite a bit more than BMW’s M340i xDrive offers but likely not quite as much set to be delivered by the upcoming M3 (particularly in Competition guise).
Still, it’s plenty of oomph from the tuned turbocharged 3,0-litre engine, delivered to all four corners via a suitably tweaked eight-speed automatic transmission. The xDrive all-paw system has likewise been revised.
The result is a sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in a claimed 3,8 seconds, with 13,4 seconds required to reach 200 km/h.
Alpina has, of course, done plenty of other work under the skin of its take on the 3 Series, adding items such as Eibach springs, adaptive dampers, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential (at the rear) and upgraded brakes on both axles. A set of 20-inch alloys has also been added.
