Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo: Next generation BMW M5

For Ferrari it is called Scuderia, for Mercedes Benz it is called AMG, for BMW it is “Alpina”. The car which have made it’s world debut in the Goodwood festival of speed has the capability to push itself up to an unrestricted top speed of 308 kmph. 0 to 100 kmph sprint of 4.7 secs. It produces 500 bhp at 5500 rpm and an earth shaking 700 N-m of torque at 3000 rpm. The engine drives the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox made by ZF.

Technology

About the engine: It is a V8 all aluminium engine where the turbo charger are fitted inside the space of the V. They work in parallel, each feeding one of the two cylinder banks. Specially developed for ALPINA in partnership with Honeywell-Garrett, the bespoke exhaust turbines are generously dimensioned. Compared to its super-charged predecessor, this engine configuration delivers more torque over a broader rev range and improves throttle response at low revs.

For much more , alpina has optimised the indirect inter-cooling system (air-to-water / water-to-air) with short intake tracts and increased inter-cooler flow. Which can be said to deliver high thermal efficiency. The high-performance cooling package gains its thermo-dynamic efficiency through the use of a large-volume low-temperature inter-cooler, as well as two water-to-air inter-coolers placed close to the engine. The pistons are a high-performance variant developed together with Mahle to deal with the extreme temperatures and pressures associated with up to 1.0 bar charging and the engine’s 9.2:1 nominal compression ratio. Which off course means usage of high strength alloys with hardened piston coating. Altogether this results in an impressive specific power output of 115.3 ihp (indicated horse power) per litre and a mean total compression of 20.1 bar. Direct injection and Double-VANOS contribute to the B5 Bi-Turbo’s class-leading performance in terms of emissions and economy in the super saloon segment: 10.8 l/100km and 252g/km CO2.

Transmission: It’s the old conventional torque converter gearbox used for most of the automatic cars in the world. Which means BMW has not considered a dual-clutch one. Thankfully the maker ZF says it is ways ahead of the conventional one. It has only 4 four sets of rotors inside it and that gives you the speed of 8. It has a 8hp flywheel and it reduces drag on the vehicle making it very efficient. It is the same gearbox as the 5-series but with some alpina touch.

The Manual mode gives the driver full control over every shift. The SWITCH-TRONIC buttons are ergonomically and aesthetically positioned on the back side of the steering wheel and can be used by the driver in whatever manner he or she wishes, based on traffic and the roadway at hand. The system also allows for multi-simultaneous down-shifts in fractions of a second, hereby the transmission will skip several gears depending on accelerator loads and revs. In this manner the 8-speed sport automatic transmission with ALPINA SWITCH-TRONIC reveals itself to be multi-faceted and able to provide the proper shift characteristic for any and all situations.

Chassis and suspension: The chassis is tuned to be stiffer and together with 20″ wheels and tyres, ALPINA have achieved a very balanced and direct chassis set-up, discarding a pure sport-orientated approach for an agile suspension with precise turn-in. The new light-weight 20″ ALPINA CLASSIC are shod with the most advanced high performance tyre technology available today. For comfort, everyday usability and razor-sharp handling when called for, the B5 Bi-Turbo is equipped with electronically adjustable suspension (Variable Damper Control). Using the control switch mounted to the left of the shift lever, the driver can select between Normal, Comfort, Sport and Sport+. This system has been calibrated by ALPINA, and is tied into other system parameters controlling steering assistance, torque cushioning and DSC (dynamic stability control). Light steering, ultra-comfortable suspension and an imperceptibly shifting transmission B5 Bi-Turbo the ideal partner in stop-and-go traffic, when covering great distances or when encountering less than perfect road surfaces. Yet at the touch of a button, the B5 Bi-Turbo will track through tricky corners and exciting sections of road with an agility and light-footedness like no other in its class.

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