Alpina introduced the facelifted B3 nearly two years ago, but it appears another update is on the horizon. However, spy photographers also floated the possibility of a more powerful variant. Regardless of what the company has up their sleeve, the B3 and B3 Touring were recently caught undergoing testing on the Nürburgring. They’re lightly camouflaged as they only have black and white bumpers as well as a swath of disguise on the trunk and tailgate.
Despite the camo, the bumpers appear to
carryover from the current model. This makes their existence all the more
perplexing as why camouflage something that hasn’t been changed? The natural
assumption is a facelift and Bimmerpost says the BMW 3-Series is slated to
receive a light refresh this summer. Changes are slated to be minor and include
an Iconic Glow grille as well as updated wheels. That’s not much to get excited
about, but bigger updates could occur inside thanks to revised trim, upgraded
materials, and higher-end switchgear.
While this remains to be seen, the
purported changes are focused on the interior and this could explain why the
Alpina prototypes aren’t showing any exterior updates. Of course, it’s also
possible testing is simply in the early stages and styling changes may appear
on later prototypes.
Regardless of what’s happening behind the
scenes, the current B3 has a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six that develops 488
hp and 730 Nm of torque. It’s connected to an
eight-speed automatic transmission and a standard all-wheel drive system. This
setup enables the sedan to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds
before hitting a top speed of 305 km/h.
