The result is an executive sedan that is also a supercar in disguise. That Alpina engine sends 608hp via an eight-speed gearbox to all four wheels -- this is the first Alpina 5-Series to feature all-wheel drive as standard -- but where the car really surprises is in what all that power does. It sends the car from a standstill to 100kph in 3.5 seconds (another first for an Alpina vehicle) and on to a top speed of 330kph. No production BMW can go beyond 250kph without removing the electronic governor.
Better still, because this is an Alpina, a car developed alongside the standard 5-Series, it will be able to deliver these quoted levels of performance all of the time unlike an Italian supercar that must be handled with utmost care and only taken out of its special garage when the weather conditions are perfect.
However, the company itself admits that building a car with such a ferocious turn of speed when pushed that still behaves like an everyday executive run-around the rest of the time, was a big challenge. To ensure the ride wasn't rock hard, the car's suspension system uses electronically adjustable dampers.
And to make sure it's easy to maneuver when not on the track -- where drifting sideways is acceptable driving behavior -- it is also the first Alpina to feature active rear-wheel steering. This, according to the company, should make the car feel like a much smaller vehicle in inner city situations where a small turning circle is a necessity.
The only thing stopping this car from being the ultimate sleeper or Q car are its standard exterior color -- Alpina Blue or Alpina Green -- the pinstriped deco set coachline striping, the subtle front and rear spoilers and of course those unique 20-spoke Alpina wheels. But as all of those elements are "standard" and an Alpina is a made-to-measure vehicle, meaning that from interior fittings and materials to exterior paint colors, everything is down to the individual's tastes.
BMW won't be launching its own M5 until 2018 and when it does, there's a good chance that it could be faster from 0-100kph than the B5. However, the company has confirmed that it has no plans to make a station wagon version of the next M5 leaving Alpina's B5 Bi-Turbo Touring in a class of its own.
