Alpina’s B7 is now officially good for 205mph

Motor shows. Normally the ideal opportunity for a carmaker to drop a stinging ‘shots fired’ moment at its rivals with huge claims of speed, power and prestige. Fittingly for a brand that specialises in under-the-radar, Q-car cool, Alpina’s done something a little different with the new B7 BiTurbo. See, it’s just gone on sale in the UK, ready for its introduction to our little island in the north Atlantic, and Alpina’s quietly admitted it’s quite a lot faster than they told us it was at the Geneva show.

To recap, Alpina originally stated that their new big bad 7 Series would top out at 193mph, thanks to a, er, BiTurbo 4.4-litre V8, developing 592bhp. We don’t remember anyone storming off their stand complaining either of those numbers was pathetic. That’s pretty much Audi R8 V10 performance.

Still, Alpina’s had a fiddle, done some high-speed testing and the new B7 BiTurbo has arrived in right-hand drive in the UK with 600bhp and a top whack of 205mph. As near as dammit three times the national speed limit in the UK – we think you can call that job done now, guys.

As BMW has no plans to make a true ‘M7’ – the M760Li is as close as you’ll get, and that’s a more relaxed, V12 proposition – Alpina’s B7 is the only BMW-shaped option for AMG-allergists and Panamera-phobes. Its engine has had a thorough workover to improve breathing, there are new pistons, intercoolers and extra radiators, and the eight-speed automatic gearbox has beefed-up gear clusters to cope with the stress. 

As a result, it’ll do 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds, which is seriously rapid for a two-tonne canal boat with massaging seats, ambient lighting and rear-wheel drive (the continental version gets AWD, and can do a 3.6sec sprint). It’s even more impressive when you really scrutinise the specs and note the UK is only getting the long-wheelbase B7. All that extra legroom, reclining seats, and it’ll still edge a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS away from the lights. Not that we would encourage merchant bankers to behave like that in the Square Mile, oh no.

That’s a relevant target market because the price is another substantial number: £115,000. The B7 doesn’t want for equipment, though, and as we have mentioned in passing, it is extremely fast. The less obvious uber saloon of choice, perhaps?