Gaze at this achingly desirable Alpina B12 5.7 Coupe

What would you do if someone handed you €350,000 and told you to buy anything you wanted? Right now, we can’t think of anything we’d rather spend our money on than this biblically-gorgeous BMW Alpina B12 5.7 Coupe. In fact, we’ve already started our hunt for lamps to rub and genies to awaken.

The B12 Coupe started life as an already-cool BMW 850CSi, but Alpina decided to bore the 5.6-litre V12 out to 5.7-litres before fitting a modified intake, crankshaft, camshaft and stainless-steel exhaust system. As a result, power jumped from 375bhp to 410bhp and torque sat at a nice round 420lb ft. 

Rumour has it that Alpina was suitably impressed with BMW Motorsport’s work on the standard 850, so not too much else was altered mechanically. The brakes were left as standard and only the front springs were changed in the suspension setup. There was, however, the option of either a six-speed Getrag manual or a new Alpina-developed Shift-Tronic auto gearbox. The fact that the estimate for this particular 1993 B12 is between €300,000 - €350,000 should tell you that it’s a manual. 

That estimate also alludes to the condition this thing is in. That Alpina Blue paintwork with gold detailing is stunning, as are the 18-inch wheels and the fabulously-retro, leather-filled interior. There’s also only 9,000km on the clock. Criminal.

It’ll go under the hammer at the RM Sotheby’s Paris sale in early February, and all you need to remember is V12, manual gearbox, 57 built, pop-up headlights, Alpina alloys, gold pinstriping, that interior…

Enjoy the pictures, we’re off for a lie down.