Alpina · 2007–2013

Alpina B3

The Alpina B3 (E90) and Alpina D3 (E90) are a series of high performance compact executive cars manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Alpina from 2007 to 2013. Based on the BMW 3 Series (E90), the B3 and D3 were available in coupé, saloon, convertible (not available for the D3) and station wagon body styles. The B3 was officially unveiled at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show. The coupé debuted the following summer at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and the convertible debuted at the IAA 2007.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Development and introduction

Development of the B3 began in 2006. At that time, it was speculated that the car would either be introduced with a 4.4-litre supercharged V8 engine (already used in the B5, B6 and B7) or a naturally aspirated V8 engine (as used in the 550i and 750i). The supercharger would've been Alpina's own design. Both of these speculations were nullified when the car was introduced in 2007 as it utilised a modified version of the BMW N54 inline-6 engine used in the 335i. The B3 was available with rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive drivetrains. The cars equipped with the all-wheel-drive (BMW xDrive) system were called Allrad. The engine was modified by the addition of an Alpina specific ECU, oil cooler and lighter and stronger MAHLE pistons. These modifications allowed the engine to generate 360 PS (265 kW; 355 hp) between 5,500 rpm to 6,000 rpm and 500 N⋅m (369 lb⋅ft) of torque at 3,800 rpm to 5,000 rpm. The engine has a red-line of 7,000 rpm. The engine was mated to a 6-speed ZF automatic transmission paired with a control system called Switch Tronic. The control system was first introduced by the company in 1993 and has a manual mode which allows the driver to change gears either by the gear lever or by buttons present behind the steering wheel. Shift times had been significantly improved, taking 100 milliseconds to shift gears. The company re-introduced one of their signature exterior colours for the B3 namely Alpina Green as Alpina Green II. However, the car could be ordered in any colour out of the standard exterior colours as offered on its predecessor. The exterior changes included optional Alpina pinstripes, a front spoiler with Alpina lettering, a rear lip spoiler and a lightweight Akrapovic stainless steel exhaust system with quad exhaust tips. The exhaust system had a

Performance

The B3 can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 4.8 seconds (5.0 seconds for the convertible, 4.9 seconds for the wagon) and can reach a claimed top speed of 285 km/h (177 mph) (278 km/h (173 mph) for the convertible). Tested performance figures are as follows: 0–48 km/h (0–30 mph): 2.39 seconds 0–64 km/h (0–40 mph): 3.30 seconds 0–80 km/h (0–50 mph): 4.15 seconds 0–97 km/h (0–60 mph): 5.17 seconds 0–113 km/h (0–70 mph): 6.51 seconds 0–129 km/h (0–80 mph): 7.96 seconds 0–145 km/h (0–90 mph): 9.57 seconds 0–161 km/h (0–100 mph): 11.57 seconds

Variants

=== D3 === The D3 is the diesel powered variant of the B3. It is based on the 320d but utilises a modified version of the N47 inline-4 diesel engine as found on the 123d. The reason to use this engine was to have high performance while maintaining a good fuel economy. The engine received the same modifications as on the B3 with the only difference being the cat back exhaust system having dual exhaust tips instead of quad. The modifications allow the engine to generate 214 PS (157 kW; 211 hp) and 450 N⋅m (332 lb⋅ft) of torque between 2,000 and 2,500 rpm. The D3 is claimed to be more fuel efficient than its 3 Series diesel counterparts (those being the 325d and 335d). The D3 has BMW efficient dynamics system, a start/stop system, a decoupling alternator and active aerodynamics as standard. Unlike the B3, the D3 was not offered in the convertible body style. The use of the inline-4 engine allows the car to be lighter than the donor car, the difference being 100 kg (220 lb) in terms of weight. It also allows the car to have better handling than its counterparts also made possible due to non-run flat tyres. Performance figures include a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) acceleration time of 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 245 km/h (152 mph). B3 S. The B3 S is a high performance variant of the B3. Introduced at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the B3 S has a redesigned front spoiler, 19-inch wheels from the B7 and a new rear diffuser. The engine received a new ECU, resulting in a power increase to 400 PS (294 kW; 395 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 540 N⋅m (398 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4,500 rpm. The engine has a compression ratio of 9.4:1 and a peak boost pressure of 1.2 bar. The B3 S saw a performance improvement over the B3, including a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) acceleration time of 4.7 seconds (0.1 seconds m

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 B3 and D3 (E90/E91/E92/E93)
Manufacturer: Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG
Production: 2007–2013
Assembly: Germany: Buchloe
Class: Compact executive car (D)
Body style: 2-door coupé, 2-door retractable hard top convertible, 4-door saloon, 5-door station wagon
Related: BMW 3 Series (E90), BMW 1 Series (E87)
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive/Front-engine, all-wheel-drive
Engine: Petrol:, 3.0 L N54 twin-turbocharged I6, Diesel:, 2.0 L BMW N47 turbo diesel I4
Transmission: 6-speed ZF 6HP19 automatic
Wheelbase: 2760 mm
Length: 4520-4610 mm
Width: 1780-1820 mm
Height: 1380-1420 mm
Kerb weight: Saloon: 1645 kg (curb), 2090 kg (maximum), Wagon: 1750 kg (curb), 2200 kg (maximum), Coupé: 1570 kg (curb), 2090 kg (maximum), Convertible: 1845 kg (curb), 2200 kg (maximum)
Predecessor: Alpina B3 (E46)
Successor: Alpina B3 (F30), Alpina B4

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60752835CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpina_B3_(E90)CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1371055398 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_Alpina_B3_BiTurbo_Cabrio.jpgPublic domain · Photo: TTTNIS · 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.