Alpina’s heading back to the track

03rd June 2008

Legendary tuner Alpina is set to return to racing after a 20-year absence. This is the first official picture of the firm’s new B6S, which it plans to enter in 2009’s European GT3 championship.

It’s based on the BMW 6-Series Coupé, but has a powerful supercharged 4.4-litre V8 producing more than 500bhp. Aerodynamic tweaks include a large rear wing. At the height of its success in the Seventies, the team took three European Touring Car titles with Formula One stars such as Derek Bell and Niki Lauda at the wheel. But in 1987, it abandoned the track to focus on its road car operation.