B3 3.0 & 3.2
Introduction
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The B3 3.0 is the succesor to the B6 2.8/2. The reason why Alpina replaced the B6 so quickly was E36 M3. The M3 3.0, which went on sale by BMW in 1993, was both more powerful and over 7000 D-mark cheaper than the B6 2.8/2. So Alpina introduced the B3 3.0, which was almost 10000 D-mark cheaper than the M3.
When BMW introduced the M3 3.2 (called M3 Evo in the UK) in late 1995, Alpina had to respond because the M3 3.2 had 321 bhp against the B3 3.0´s 250 bhp. So in April 1996 the B3 3.2, based on the 328i, was introduced.
Engine/Gearbox
For information about engine & gearbox, please refer to the separate tab.
Suspension/Brakes/Wheels
The B6 2.8/2 already had a really good chassis so Alpina has just done some fine-adjustments on the B3 3.0 to make the car ride better. The brakes are unchanged with ventilated discs at front and solid at rear and the wheels are the same.
The B3 3.2 received a new front stabilizer and new rear springs and stabilizer. The brakes are uprated with bigger discs, ventilated at front, with floating calipers.
Interior/Exterior
The changes inside the B3 3.0 are the same as in the B6, except a new steering-wheel. The exterior is unchanged. The interior changes include a hand-sewn leather-rimmed steering wheel, a shift-knob made of wood, luxury wood on the gearshift console, Alpina upholstery, sport seats and new instruments, blue with red needles.
For the B3 3.2, Alpina introduced a new front spoiler.
Performance
A manual B3 3.0 could accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 6,4 seconds and could reach a top speed of 264 km/h. The Switchtronic version was a little slower but still fast. According to Auto Motor und Sport it could accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 7,1 seconds, 0-160 km/h in 15,9 and 0-200 km/h in 26. The top speed was 258 km/h.
Even though the B3 3.2 is not as powerful as the M3 3.2, it is nearly as fast. Alpina claims a 0-100 km/h time of 5,9 seconds and a top speed of over 260 km/h. BMW claims 5,5 seconds for the M3 3.2 to 100 km/h and the top speed is limited to 250 km/h. In Auto Motor und Sport´s test the B3 3.2 accelerated from 0-100 km/h in 5,9 seconds, 6,5 for the Switch-Tronic, 0-160 km/h in 13,9 and 0-200 in 23,2 seconds.
Production
Between April 1993 and December 1995 a total of 741 B3 3.0 were built. In April 1996 the B3 3.2 was introduced. The production ended in 1999 and a total of 342 B3 3.2 were built.
Engine/Gearbox
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The B3 3.0 engine is based on BMW’s 2.5 liter six-cilinder which produces 192 bhp and 240Nm. The biggest difference between the B3 3.0 engine and the B6 2.8/2´s engine is the displacement, which Alpina increased from 2.8 litre to 3.0 litre. That allows the B3 3.0 to produce 250 bhp instead of 240 bhp; torque increased to 320 Nm, as much as the M3 3.0. The most interesting option for the B3 3.0 is the optional Switchtronic gearbox; it is a 5-speed automatic gearbox which allows manual gear changes with buttons on the steering wheel.
The B3 3.2 engine is based on BMW´s 2.8 liter six-cylinder which produce 193 bhp and 280 Nm. Alpina has increased the displacement to 3.2 litre, fitted Mahle lightweight pistons, modified the combustion chambers, reprogrammed the engine management-system, made by Siemens, and fitted a new exhaust system. Those are the most important changes that allows the Alpina 3.2 liter engine to produce 265 bhp and torque is up to 330 Nm. The gearbox is made by Getrag and has 6 speeds and the Switchtronic gearbox is available as an option.
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