Germany's renowned BMW performance specialists Alpina create a second edition of the classic Z8

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December 18, 2002
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Germany's renowned BMW performance specialists Alpina create a second edition of the classic Z8

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, December 2, 2002…This new edition of BMW's contemporary classic roadster is sure to raise eyebrows. A Z8 with an automatic transmission? A new Z8 powered not by the BMW M engine, but rather by a specially developed, higher-performance version of BMW's "regular" V-8 engine? A new Z8 with 20-inch wheels and tires in place of the original model's 18-inchers? Yes, it's all true, and there's quite a story here.

For starters, this new Z8 is not only from BMW, but also from ALPINA. Located in the Upper Bavarian town of Buchloe, ALPINA was established in 1964 as an official and approved "ennobler" of BMW automobiles - and with that word, we unabashedly translate directly from the German word Veredler, which tells us that ALPINA is not concerned merely with making BMWs go faster and look racier. Instead, ALPINA's tradition is to take production BMWs and make them even more appealing to connoisseurs of automotive finery. Performance finery, we must add, as ALPINA's treatments include not merely cosmetic modifications but also a palette of powertrain and chassis refinements that consistently enhance BMW models' already formidable road capabilities within a context of thorough engineering and mature character.

The character of ALPINA is the character of founder Burkard Bovensiepen, who is best described as an epicure within whose range of interests and passions motor vehicles also fall: Bovensiepen is also a connoisseur (and distributor) of fine wines and a gourmet.

With this latest creation, which amounts to an exclusive and unique ALPINA re-interpretation of the Z8 roadster, Bovensiepen's team of automotive ennoblers has added its unique touch to an already classic creation, and has done so with the skill and maturity of the seasoned automotive gourmet. The BMW ALPINA ROADSTER V8 incorporates change not just for the sake of change and exclusivity - although of course it offers exclusivity in great measure - but rather as a specific, targeted refinement in the direction of greater comfort.

ALPINA has transformed the Z8 in a thoroughly logical way, consistent with its own long-standing principles and the tastes and preferences of Bovensiepen himself. Toward an understanding of the ALPINA transformation of the Z8, it is helpful to bullet-point the ways in which the ALPINA roadster differs from the original Z8 - whose limited production concludes today with a total of approximately 5,000 units having been largely handbuilt:

The BMW ALPINA ROADSTER V8 replaces the Z8's BMW M engine (5.0 liters, 394 horsepower, elaborate individual throttles for each of the eight cylinders and many other racecar-like engineering characteristics) with a performance-developed version of BMW's "regular" V-8 engine.
The 4.8-liter ALPINA engine comes to within 19 hp of the BMW M unit (375 hp, vs. 394), does so at lower rpm levels, and (this is key) is thus suited to teaming with an automatic transmission.
Its power peak comes at 5800 rpm, vs. 6600; its torque peak occurs at the same 3800 rpm but is actually higher: 383 lb-ft. (vs. 368 lb-ft).
The ALPINA engine delivers at least 368 lb-ft. all the way from 3100 to 5000 rpm.

(December 12, 2002)

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