Alpina · 2004–2006
Alpina Roadster S
The Alpina Roadster S is a sports car manufactured by the German automobile manufacturer Alpina from 2003 to 2007. Based on the BMW Z4 (E85), the Roadster S was unveiled at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Specifications
The Roadster S was the third open top sports car presented by Alpina after the Alpina Z1 RLE (Roadster Limited Edition) and V8 Roadster which was unveiled in 2001. The Roadster S was based on the Z4 3.0i and was available in two trims, those being standard and Luxury. The Luxury model had Bluetooth phone connectivity, DVD satellite navigation and Xenon headlamps. The optional Sport pack added a thicker anti-rollbar and increased the front negative camber by 1 degree. The engine is a hand-built 3.4-litre E5/2 inline-six unit, also shared with the B3 S (E46). The engine is an enlarged version of the S52B32 engine first installed in the North American M3 (E36). The engine generated a maximum power output of 300 PS (221 kW; 296 hp) at 6,300 rpm and 360 N⋅m (266 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4,800 rpm. The engine has a redline of 7,200 rpm. Modifications to the engine include an Alpina specific cylinder head, crankshaft and high strength Mahle pistons. The exhaust system is a stainless steel unit from Boysen with dual polished exhaust tips. Interestingly for a modern Alpina automobile, the Roadster S did away with the Switch Tronic automatic transmission and has a close ratio 6-speed manual transmission built by ZF Friedrichshafen. The decision to replace the automatic transmission was primarily made to make the car more engaging to drive. This move was lauded by the purists and resulted in a positive response. The interior was available in three colour combinations, those being black leather with blue and green stitching on the dashboard and steering wheel (or alternatively red stitching), red leather with red stitching on the dashboard and steering wheel and beige with maroon piping and maroon stitching on the dashboard and steering wheel. Noticeable changes to the interior include
Performance
The Roadster S can accelerate from 0–97 km/h (0–60 mph) in 5.1 seconds, 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 5.3 seconds, 0–161 km/h (0–100 mph) in 13 seconds and can reach a claimed top speed of 272 km/h (169 mph) (277 km/h (172 mph) with the optional hard top). Although independent testing revealed the top speed to be as high as 257 km/h (160 mph).
Production
The Roadster S' body-in-white was prepared at the BMW factory in Spartanburg, Greer, South Carolina and were sent to the Alpina factory in Buchloe for final assembly. In addition, the Roadster S was also produced by modifying a Z4 3.0i by stripping off the standard interior and installing an Alpina specific interior, modifying its engine and installing Alpina specific components. Europe production for the Roadster S was carried out for only two years (in 2004 and 2005) with 370 cars built in total, 167 of which were right-hand-drive for the UK market. The reason behind the short production span was that the S52 engine was not compliant with the new Euro 4 emission regulations coming into effect from January 2006 due to which BMW stopped supplying engines to Alpina. The car was still sold through 2006 via dealership inventories.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- Alpina Roadster S
- Manufacturer
- Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG
- Production
- 2004–2006
- Assembly
- Germany: Buchloe
- Class
- Sports car (S)
- Body style
- 2-door roadster
- Layout
- Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
- Related
- BMW Z4 (E85), Alpina B3 (E46)
- Engine
- 3.4 L E5/2 I6
- Transmission
- 6-speed ZF manual
- Wheelbase
- 2495 mm
- Length
- 4090 mm
- Width
- 1780 mm
- Height
- 1300 mm
- Kerb weight
- 1320 kg (DIN)
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25387151CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpina_Roadster_SCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1368146751 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_Alpina_Roadster_3,4_S_(3537987805).jpgCC BY 2.0 · Photo: nakhon100 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.