A good friend of mine holds a show that we call the "The Annual Sheffield BMW Pilgrimage". Sia offered for me to drive one of his awesome cars and of course I wouldn't pass up the opportunity.
I meet Sia and we have a quick breakfast and then load up. On the way to the show I take his Batshit Insane E28 525i which is S54 powered. I have only driven this car a few miles in the past so it was great to get some actual drive-time in it. Its crazy, but that's not what this review is about (ldsbeaker did a great one so I wont bother).
We arrive at the show and start hanging out. Its a beautiful day in Southern Ontario.
Mark shows up a bit later on his bike:
Sheffield BMW Pilgrimage 2013 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Sheffield BMW Pilgrimage 2013 by KillerPM, on Flickr
An hour later I decide I dont ever want to own a V12 Jag. How the heck would anybody maintain this?
Sheffield BMW Pilgrimage 2013 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Anyway, the day was gorgeous. Sia and I decide to head out around 6 in the afternoon.
Sheffield BMW Pilgrimage 2013 by KillerPM, on Flickr
I decide to take the Alpina back to his bunker in Toronto. Lets see how Alpina has done it.
We start out by driving a bunch of hilly back country roads. The car takes every bump, hill and turn like a champ. Body roll is well controlled and the car doesn't feel heavy at all. My E39 always felt heavy when you really get into the corners. I also think Alpina has installed a closer ratio steering box into this car. Its much more responsive around corners then mine. Maybe its from an M5. I don't know, never driven an E39 M5.
As we roll through the hills I never get the feeling that I was expecting to get from an automatic where it hunts for the proper gears. The car always seems to know where it needs to be. I put it into "Switchtronic" mode to see how that works. For the vintage of car that it is, it works very well. Its fast with only a bit of noticeable lag between selection of the gear and it actually hitting the gear. For a car of this vintage I was impressed. Newer dual clutch gearboxes are obviously much faster but again, its not too bad. Anyway, I prefer to let the car do all the thinking when its an automatic so I just drive in "D" the rest of the way.
We hit a few stoplights on the way to the highway and when the light turns green I let it go a few times. One thing I immediately notice is the cars locking torque converter. Other V8 automatic E39s I have driven never seem to fully lock until very high RPM. This one locks around 2500 RPM and locks FAST. The car really pushes you back in your seat as it goes through its motions. No drama, no wheel chirp and the nice low throaty tone of the awesome exhaust. Within no time we are doing 60-70mph and since we are on back roads, I have to keep the speed under control (the Ontario police are really strict lately).
We finally make it to the highway and now I can see how the car handles during many of our favorite situations... The on ramp. I push the car into the tight right hand sweeping turn and it holds very flat. Again, no drama. The on-ramp straightens out and I pin it. The car shifts down and I am pushed firmly back into the seat as the powerful engine gets going. Its definitely faster then my E39. Before I know it I am doing way faster then I am supposed to be. I merge onto the highway, make my way onto the fast lane and hold the high speed for a while. The car is obviously right at home. With the windows up, its quiet and comfortable. Everything you would expect from this business executive's ultimate driving machine.
I test the breaks out. They are no different then my 540i's (and a 530 as well). Lots of stopping power in these cars.
As we get closer to Toronto, we get into some traffic. As we are dodging traffic the car feels comfortable and nimble. The suspension is just right on this car. Highway bumps are no problem. Even the grated construction zone we drove through was no problem. Not a rattle or buzz in this car at all (which for any of us who own E39s, not having a sunroof is a benefit in this case).
My final impressions, Alpina got this car right. The wonderful balance between the suspension setup and the extra power the engine provides makes this car a joy to drive. For those Alpina E28 owners, its almost the same difference that a B9 and a regular 535i has. The car is just awesome.
Here are some more photos of the day:
Alpina B10 V8 E39 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Alpina B10 V8 E39 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Alpina B10 V8 E39 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Alpina B10 V8 E39 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Alpina B10 V8 E39 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Alpina B10 V8 E39 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Alpina B10 V8 E39 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Alpina B10 V8 E39 by KillerPM, on Flickr
Alpina B10 V8 E39 by KillerPM, on Flickr
