Alpina’s upgraded BMWs are usually fairly discrete affairs, but this bright orange B4 Gran Coupe is loud and proud, and we love it. The Fire Orange four-door coupe is one of four B4s commissioned by Japan’s Alpina importer, Nicole. The other three cars include another orange car, plus two Frozen Back coupes for those who prefer to fly under the radar in typical Alpina style. But each of the cars has a subtly different specification and price. And since some Japanese like driving left-hand drive cars, which they see as carrying more kudos, than right hookers, one pair is steered from the left seat and the other from the right.
Car one in the B4 quartet is Fire Orange
and wears Alpina’s classic 20-in wheels finished in glitzy gold. It should look
awful, but looks pretty damn cool. It’s also left-hand drive and is the most
affordable of the bunch, costing ¥ 17,898,000 (US$ 135,000). The second orange car is right-hand drive, has black wheels
and, at ¥18,363,000 (US$ 138,516), is slightly more expensive.
Looking more like a traditional Alpina,
the two black B4s follow a similar pattern. The left-hand drive example gets a
set of gold 20s and costs ¥ 18,216,000 (US$ 137,407), while its twin has the
steering wheel on the right and comes with anthracite wheels. That one will set
you back ¥ 18,616,000 (US$ 140,424). All four cars feature black Merino leather
seats and come equipped with Alpina’s version of BMW’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo S58
straight-six, which is rated at 488 hp and 729 Nm of
torque. That puts the B4 between BMW’s two-door M4 coupe and M4 Competition for
power (BMW doesn’t make an M4 Gran Coupe), but above both when it comes to
twist. Drive is to all four wheels through an eight-speed ZF auto transmission.
The four cars are on display at different
dealerships around Japan, but with only one of each example available, choosing
which one they want might be the least of prospective buyers’ troubles. Nicole
hints that it expects demand to exceed supply and if that’s the case, buyers
will be selected by lottery.
