My grandfather used to work for ALPINA here in southern Germany. I‘ve always admired the elegance they‘ve managed to add to their tuned cars. Such sleeper cars, especially if you don‘t know the brand and think you‘ve got a normal 3 series in front of you on the autobahn. I feel pure excitement when I‘m actually seeing one of em here on the streets. Timeless classy design with well engineered added power.
My dream car is a E34 Alpine with the twin turbo M30B35. Much more fun, comfort, simpler engine, quality and experience than the M5 in every way in my mind
I love how well integrated the USB ports in the center console are! They have obviously been added later by the current or previous owner, but it's done so well that you wouldn't even notice them unless you were specifically looking for them.
They actually did a version of these which they shoehorned in a 4.6 V8. A very rare car. I used to work for Alpina GB and only ever saw 1 which came from the Netherlands
The B8 4.6 (333hp) is absolutely cool and rare. I know somebody who owns one. It was also available as Touring model in Europe. But the B8 4.6 is much heavier, was a lot more expensive and comes with automatic as standard. Therefor it isn't much faster from 0 to 62mph. If you want manual transmission in your E36-Alpina, you have to go for the B3 3.2. The B8 4.6 is a cool European muscle car, which was more powerful than the Eu-spec M3 E36.
@@exoroxx Funny thing, I recall my old B8 4.6 Touring having a 6 speed manual box… Also, it was quite a bit quicker than either the B3 or M3/M3 Evo of the same period - that all-alloy V8 wasn’t as heavy as you might think…
Despite many people probably not understanding how special this is, this is as cool as it can get. From a time when Alpina cars were all handmade. More special than any M car.
Define "special". They can be cool, but some are poorly spec'd. Like this one doesn't have any side skirts, no fancy interior, bar some Alpina stitching here and there. Basic white roofliner. No high end audio. There are much nicer Alpinas out there. This one is cool, but not all that special.
There's an even cooler version of this that has a 4.6l V8 with a manual gearbox. It's also the only E36 to ever officially come with a V8 from factory.
You should run as fast as you can AWAY FROM ANY IDEA OF BUYING ANY BMW THAT HAS A V8. Saying that they’re UNRELIABLE is a gross understatement. Don’t get me wrong about BMW’s. I own one. But it’s a 4 cylinder. Extremely reliable. And plenty of power. But their V8’s are total junk.
5:12 I'm glad you talked about the valve stem thing because when I was going to dismount wheels for a BMW Alpina B6 I was so confused on where the stem was at first about a few years ago. Also the stem goes through one of the spokes to put a sensor in it.
That seems like a good idea to me. It will help protect the valve stem, from damage and sabotage, as you can only really access them with a key. More car manufacturers should consider something similar.
As I become old I start to understand the alpina ethos more and more. They are performance STREET cars. I really want one. This one in particular is sooooooo cool.
Just a little correction - I think that Alpina used the 2.8 m52 engine and bore it out to 3.2. The only 3.0 straight 6 engine from that time was the s52, and they didn't use that ;)
@@Euphorica S52 is not related to the Alpina 3.2 aside from the fact they are both derived from the M52 2.8 and they happen to have the same displacement
@@michu6777 it absolutely is related. You think manufacturers are blowing wads of cash to redesign a the same engine from the ground up? Lol Besides there being lots of data online showing these are indeed related.(the same in some reports)... Use your logical reasoning.
@@Euphorica He was just saying that this engine isn't based on the 3.0l S unit but rather on the 2.8 M unit, which is correct. Also Alpina is a manufacturer, not a tuner, at least here in Germany.
THIS is the car I have always wanted to own, that I will always want to own and probably never will. Of all the cars in the world, THIS is the one. I am a huge fan of BMW (especially the older ones), but Alpina is something completely special to me.
Currently own a 1998 Alpina B6 2.8 touring so was thrilled to see this review. It's one of my favorite cars to drive because a previous owner had installed a 5 spd manual. A JDM example #103.
@@jimmyneutron5679The entire production run was shipped to Japan, as far as I know. Found a 20 yen coin under the seat rail! Still have the original transmission and gear,for the purists....
The story behind the JP market B6 2.8 touring is interesting. BMW decided to stop importing the 328i touring to Japan and Alpina knew there was a touring market there. So they created the B6 2.8 Touring to fill the gap left by BMW. The B6 2.8 tourings were not modified as much as a B3 3.2 due to cost and positioning in the marketplace.
@@doctor_tran Spot on! Although not quite as rare as the B3, or as powerful, still my favorite for a deserted mountain road... Even over my Z4M coupe! That's saying a lot...
@@doctor_tran No, actually the B6 is the first Alpina before they were renamed to B6, like the e30's are called B6. B6 are based on the 2.5L m50 not on the 2.8L m52, but Alpina continued to exporting them to Japan, but all early e36 alpinas were B6 before the 328 existed.. actually the m52 328i exists because Alpina put a 2.8 on the early E36 models.
It is an import from the Netherlands. There are still Vredestein tyres on it, which are Dutch and good tyres. Like the license plates as well. It was imported into the Netherlands as well by the way. I suspect that this Alpina started it's live in Germany.
Great review Doug! I am from Munich and occasionally see Alpinas in the wild. However I’d like to correct you on your statement of the B3 3.2 being the ultimate E36 Touring. In fact only for the E36 Alpina did something very special. They put the (then brand new) 4.0 Liter V8 in the E36, only they bore it out to 4.6 and called it the Alpina B8. They had to make over 50 changes to the chassis, to make it fit. All hand built, 23 in total I believe They tuned it to 333 Ps. 0-60 in 5,6 and 170 mph was mind blowing at the time. Way faster than even the European M3s. My fathers friend had one, when I was a kid and I just loved it. Now they go for well over 60.000 Dollars. Those were truly the ultimate E36 BMW! I wish you luck for a review of an Alpina B8.
Owner of the B3 3.2 Touring here. I also have a B8 4.6 Touring. That's why I am selling the B3 :-) I think Doug was too excited to get his hands on the 3.2 to hear me tell him the true ultimate E36 touring is the 4.6 ;-)
@@doctor_tran Oh my god, really? Please let him review your B8!!! Those cars were so cool! You are a lucky man! Any other cool Alpinas? A B12 5.7 Coupe? Or the B10 3.6 twin turbo? (Those are my all time favorite Alpinas…)
The wheels are 20 spoke soft lines Awesome wheels to this day I love my Alpina Interesting note, BMW bought out Alpina a few months ago. The brand and cars could change significantly in the near future
@@anonymous89105 But I bet some Americans would ask in the comments; "why does this car have a Dutch license plate?" and "What is the Dutch license plate going in the US" More like how is this car even allowed on the public roads in the US? This car doesn't even have US-sized plates attached at all.
1:25 Until their recent sale to BMW Alpina wasn't a tuner, they hadn't been one for a long time by the time the E36 was made. Alpina was a manufacturer, officially.
They’re still a manufacturer. BMW doesn’t take the wheel until 2025. They’ve been registered as a manufacturer in Germany since the early 80s but weren’t recognised in the UK until 92/93, and even still were registered as “BMW Alpina” rather than “Alpina B3” for example.
A renaissance of high-performance station wagons would be amazing! I know it’ll never happen, but I’d love to see modern takes on the B3 Alpina come to the US market. I wish Americans would get over SUVs and realize station wagons offer nearly the same utility with all the performance of a sport sedan. Great video, Doug! 😀👍
I would love to see station wagons make a huge comeback. I’d rather have a wagon over an SUV any day. My very first car was an old station wagon. A 1971 Ford LTD Country Squire. My second car was another wagon as well. That one was a 1976 Ford Torino country squire. Probably the best car I ever had. It NEVER broke down despite having over 200,000 miles on it. It still looked good as well. I really liked that car. GM, FORD, AND CHRYSLER need to bring back the mighty family wagon with the rear facing seats in the back, and the multi-way tailgate that could either be lowered for tail gating or open to the side…with the electric window that lowered into the tail gate. And the luggage rack up over the top of the wagon section. I wouldn’t even mind if they put wood grain on the sides again. Just give us great gas mileage and a powerful engine under the hood.
Doug - Congrats on FINALLY reviewing another Alpina (to go along with your XB7 review from a couple of years ago). Please, please, please now review a new B8 or, even better, an (F12) B6, which I think is one of the most beautiful cars that Alpina has ever created (and was the most powerful at the time @ 600bhp)!
@@dwightmanne As a matter of fact I do….me! Lol. 2017 B6 fully loaded and in pristine condition. But it’s not Alpina Blue or Green, it’s Glaciar Silver Metallic (Doug prefers to review his cars in “press” colors). Also, I live in NY, so there’s that. Lol.
Doug my first car was a 96 Accord Wagon and to this day I love wagons almost as much as you ! Your Audi is absolutely stunning ! This bmw is so nice ! That Alpina badge on the back is huge !
The last Accord wagon made...in the US and Canada, that is. Honda sold different body styles of Accord outside of North America (Europe and Asia primarily) for the 6th and 7th generations, both of which had wagons.
32 likes 5 comments and all I wanted was a response from Doug ! .........lol he’s responded for me at least 5 times now so .... I’m still happy ! WHO LOVES DADDY DOUG !
I think it’s the same as quite a few: if 99% of people walk past it and have no idea what it is, Doug (or anyone) can’t really claim it’s cool. When he used to explain his score he used to say that quite a lot. Even though I know this sort of thing is off the charts for us nerds.
Different people are going to have different ideas of what's cool. It's called a DOUG score for a reason. Don't like it? Start your own UA-cam channel and your own scoring system. Good luck. It's called building your own brand.
@@houseofno I actually do have a scoring system but mines not for cars it’s for assholes. That being said let me be the first person to congratulate you for coming out on top.
I saw a Mitsubishi Raider V8 AND a Mercedes-Benz B-Class ELECTRIC DRIVE this morning in Northern California lol. Been an interesting car spotting day so far haha.
You can still find this car as a Dutch registered car (with all its quirks and features or rather its specs, like hp, torque, 0- 100 time, top speed, sizes, fuel consumption, roadtax etc.) with e.g. the car-app Finnik
10:44 these features being on the logo was a very common thing manufacturers did back in the 90s, Honda did it with their cars which had their 4ws and awd systems and I believe some awd corollas also had “awd” integrated into the Toyota badge
@@ojsimpson9516 Mechanically alright. Rear differential bearing was loud, and the plastic clips are starting to break for wiring harness. Biggest issue was some insulation inside the headlights flaking off. These are not big deals. I’ve done two 16 hour road trips in it and never had any worry about it making it. It eats up miles.
Most SUV owners need seating for seven (or eight) on a regular basis, so this doesn't work for them. This could work for compact/subcompact crossover buyers though.
@@damilolaakanni you are thinking about the US market, with 4% of the world’s population. The other 96% who can afford suvs often buy them as status. An X1 or even an X3 is the worse car, and i think that’s his point.
@@damilolaakanni absolutely. I think that why he used the term „chassis“, or not? Sorry, English isn’t my first language, that’s the way i understood him 🙂
The exterior door handles are nearly identical to my E32 750iL's (these were also common to the E34 5-series cars). Thanks Doug! Some interesting facts about Alpina: They started out modifying BMW 2002's for better performance and were originally a tuner company. Later, they won accreditation from the German government as an automotive manufacturer. More recently, BMW bought out Alpina and is now a subsidiary, though still being run autonomously from BMW. Another interesting fact about Alpina - while you can purchase Alpina wheels, suspension parts as well as exterior and interior cosmetic upgrades (extremely pricey), Alpina will NOT sell you Alpina mechanical parts unless you can prove ownership of an existing registered Alpina automobile. Very difficult and very expensive to get Alpina replacement mechanical aparts from the company aside from parting out an existing Alpina automobile.
I am English had several E34 Tourings.. petrol, diesel.. love them so much.... great for drives around Europe..and room for the dogs. I had to get rid of my last one not too long ago, speed bumps, bad pot hole on roads etc.. just so bad unless a nice smooth road...
I just picked up my E36 Alpina B6 wagon, which was only made for the Japanese market and only 136 total models produced. I will be uploading a video review of it soon on my channel. It's not quite as clean as this example, but I'll be restoring mine to get it into this condition. Great to see what a super clean example looks like!
Interestingly enough, the crossed-out original VIN of this Alpina B3 specifies the model as CF21, which is a 328i Touring, and that's what BMW left off for Alpina to begin their magic with.
@@MishaMykha According to the video, the crossed-out original VIN is WBACF21000FV21628. BMW used only the last 7 digits of the VIN as their unique identifier for each vehicle instead of the entire 17-digit sequence, usually 2 letters and 5 numbers. However, this ended in 2019 as BMW began issuing previously-issued identifiers to new vehicles so they were no longer unique. It is not possible to identify an unique BMW vehicle only using the last 7 digits and almost all VIN decoder services required the full 17-digit sequence. In this case, this VIN is invalid from the factory with 0s for the date and check digits, as it was never intended to be valid.
E36 Tourings are great. But the ALPINA also exists with a V8! :) Yes, Alpina gave the R6 engine in the B3 E36 some upgrades HOWEVER an even more special Alpina E36 touring exists.. It is the B8 Alpina E36 that has a 4.6L V8... Now that is special because a standard E36 never existed with a V8 😎
@@donkremer6019 Yes because I have a B8 4.6 Touring now. Seems redundant and I have a new G80 M3 (manual) on order and plan to buy another Alpina touring (non-E36) in October. If the car doesn't hit reserve, I'll keep it.
Alpina did not 'lower the front bumper', they installed a 'deeper air dam' out front. The air dam is a separate piece and not considered part of the bumper. That would have been the proper terminology back in the day.
Timeless car, timeless styling, timeless wheels Also, the current generation of the Alpina B3 Touring is one of the cleanest looking modern cars right now !
My uncle had the first 3 touring with the m engine. He asked BMW if they could drop it in and they said yes. - for a fee ( had to stop driving Porsche because of back problems)
@Chairman Mao he lives outside of Munich. Back then it was more like a village. Everyone knew each other. That must have been in the 80s ( I was 12 - he still had the car when I was 15 , to remember the story) He went to university with one of the Quandt children.
Hey Doug, great video! You mentioned @2:24 that the engine was bored from 3 liters to 3.2, however this is not true as the M52 came in 2.8 Liters as the highest displacement, so this would be bored and stroked in order to be an M52B32 in this instance as Alpina did not use an S50B30 in this vehicle and the M54B30 was not conceived at this point.
I need to revisit my info, but it could even be the S52 which is already 3.2 although I vaguely recall a 3.4 version. Then it could even be an S50B30US.
@@donkremer6019 though exceptions may exist, Alpina generally upgraded the Non-M version of the engine, that car started its life as a 328i E36 Wagon and then internals etc were built to Alpina spec, hence the M52B28, you can also check the “crossed off” VIN in a BMW VIN decoder and Im sure it would confirm my theory
wikipedia says they used 328 body but not engine: body base for the B3 3.0 was a 325i (BMW E36) and a 328i for the B3 3.2. In both models, however, Alpina used the more robust M50 (B25TÜ) cast iron engine, as the M52 engine of the 328i was not suitable for expanding the displacement. Both vehicle variants were available as a coupé (two-door) and sedan (four-door), cabriolet (convertible) and station wagon (touring). which I would believe since M50 has cast iron block while M52 is aluminium.
Did you know there was also an Alpina B8 E36? Alpina went and put a modified-by-them BMW M62B40-based 333hp 4.6 litre V8 in the E36, all paired to a 6-speed manual, and made it work. Those are ultra rare and very expensive of course, 221 were made. There was also a 4.0 V8 option which 5 were made of for Japan only. The E36 was such a great platform. Even the non-M, non-Alpina "mainstream" models - especially ones with the M50 / M52 6 cylinder engines, like the 325i or 328i - are such fun cars when in good condition. They are tight, the 6 cylinder engines have that great sound and character similar to the M3 even in those lesser versions (especially the ones with VANOS), you sit quite low, you just feel like you're sitting in a sporty car in any E36, even if it's a very base spec model with one of the weaker engines. Then the euro M3, these Alpina models, they are the peak of what these can do. Where I live, go to any drift event - be it amateur or pro -, you WILL see E36s there, it's a cheap and capable platform, I know guys who started years ago as amateurs with an almost-stock E36, and are still racing the same car but of course modified to pro standards since then, still being competitive. Mostly with the M50B25 engine which was still iron block and can take turbocharging very well, I've seen several tuned to 350-400hp+ and used regularly without issues. For this same reason unfortunately there are very few that are still nice and untouched even in Europe, they can rust badly and many were modified at one point, no wonder the remaining ones are appreciating now. Same deal was with the E30 quite a few years ago.
The car was imported to the Netherlands in 2019 (that's why it has Dutch license plates) it doesn't say when it came to the US in 2016 it was in a accident (hit right rear, and right front €3000,00 - €4000,00 of damage) and 2017 (hit in rear €2000,00 of damage) last know miles 70.000 km
That would explain the new format Dutch number plates. But seeing the US plate sticking at the rear windows, I'd say it's a fresh import. So nothing wrong except for new front and rear bumpers with special metallic paint that costs a fortune and no official dealership visit for 80.000 km?
I love seeing Doug in his happy place- behind the wheel of an obscure, high-performance station wagon.
You had me in the first part! Lol
@@andrewoverhere8525 Jerry Maguire?
@@Smartzenegger what about it? I've never seen it
@@andrewoverhere8525 "You had me at "hello""
His other happy place is being in obscure, old, expensive, and quirky convertible SUVs
My grandfather used to work for ALPINA here in southern Germany. I‘ve always admired the elegance they‘ve managed to add to their tuned cars. Such sleeper cars, especially if you don‘t know the brand and think you‘ve got a normal 3 series in front of you on the autobahn. I feel pure excitement when I‘m actually seeing one of em here on the streets. Timeless classy design with well engineered added power.
My dream car is a E34 Alpine with the twin turbo M30B35. Much more fun, comfort, simpler engine, quality and experience than the M5 in every way in my mind
Me too I love seeing alpinas here in the US
@@SilkDoctr Saw a alpine white E30 Alpina here in Germany yesterday, first time I've seen a alpina
I RECALL A STAT THAT THERE WAS A B3 THAT SMOKES A V8 M3. 2021 THE MOST EXPENSIVE BMW WAS A B7.
Striping on the sides, Alpina wheels, Alpina badges en stickers. Nothing sleeper about it.
I love how well integrated the USB ports in the center console are! They have obviously been added later by the current or previous owner, but it's done so well that you wouldn't even notice them unless you were specifically looking for them.
I'm not the only one to notice that.
Yeah. That's sweet!
I’m more curious what those USBs do as it certainly still has the OEM stereo
USB ports are from Falk Manufacturing. I've had them in all of my E36's! It taps into the power outlet so it's for charging only.
@@Minto107 correct, radio is a standard BMW Business RDS. It's period correct for the car.
Cars like these fascinate me more than the newer, faster high performance cars
@Teamgeist no kidding
@Teamgeist i was thinking a e30 325 wagon would be so sweet and then i looked at prices and almost had a heart attack
@@shaned1500 clearly we're not the only ones who admire them
I get fascinated by the way Doug says "butt!"
Same. I clicked on this video in a heartbeat.
They actually did a version of these which they shoehorned in a 4.6 V8.
A very rare car. I used to work for Alpina GB and only ever saw 1 which came from the Netherlands
😧😧😧
Yeah the B8 is a step ahead ! And so much fun to drive.
Funny you mention that, because the seller is selling this one because he has the 4.6 touring version!
The B8 4.6 (333hp) is absolutely cool and rare. I know somebody who owns one. It was also available as Touring model in Europe. But the B8 4.6 is much heavier, was a lot more expensive and comes with automatic as standard. Therefor it isn't much faster from 0 to 62mph. If you want manual transmission in your E36-Alpina, you have to go for the B3 3.2. The B8 4.6 is a cool European muscle car, which was more powerful than the Eu-spec M3 E36.
@@exoroxx Funny thing, I recall my old B8 4.6 Touring having a 6 speed manual box… Also, it was quite a bit quicker than either the B3 or M3/M3 Evo of the same period - that all-alloy V8 wasn’t as heavy as you might think…
More cars like this please doug
@@aidaaliten8817 Are you guessing the age of every single commenter in this video?
@@AlexanderFam05 lol :)
@@AlexanderFam05 This guy always comments numbers for no reason and when you ask him why, he never responds...
Yea we need more old Benz too
Despite many people probably not understanding how special this is, this is as cool as it can get. From a time when Alpina cars were all handmade. More special than any M car.
Owner of a e46 b3 S coupe and a e90 alpina b3 these are future classics and honestly I can see then becoming more expensive then their M counterparts
I saw an Alpina Roadster Z8 last week. I’m s huge manual enthusiast but I have to admire the the work they do.
Define "special". They can be cool, but some are poorly spec'd. Like this one doesn't have any side skirts, no fancy interior, bar some Alpina stitching here and there. Basic white roofliner. No high end audio.
There are much nicer Alpinas out there. This one is cool, but not all that special.
@@donkremer6019 because every car was a custom order. It doesn't have anything "fancy" because the owner didn't order it
@@neartheend666 that's exactly what I was saying.
There's an even cooler version of this that has a 4.6l V8 with a manual gearbox. It's also the only E36 to ever officially come with a V8 from factory.
You should run as fast as you can AWAY FROM ANY IDEA OF BUYING ANY BMW THAT HAS A V8. Saying that they’re UNRELIABLE is a gross understatement. Don’t get me wrong about BMW’s. I own one. But it’s a 4 cylinder. Extremely reliable. And plenty of power. But their V8’s are total junk.
@@mudman6156you haven't own a V8 though.
5:12 I'm glad you talked about the valve stem thing because when I was going to dismount wheels for a BMW Alpina B6 I was so confused on where the stem was at first about a few years ago. Also the stem goes through one of the spokes to put a sensor in it.
That seems like a good idea to me. It will help protect the valve stem, from damage and sabotage, as you can only really access them with a key. More car manufacturers should consider something similar.
As I become old I start to understand the alpina ethos more and more. They are performance STREET cars. I really want one. This one in particular is sooooooo cool.
Just a little correction - I think that Alpina used the 2.8 m52 engine and bore it out to 3.2. The only 3.0 straight 6 engine from that time was the s52, and they didn't use that ;)
Cant tell with the winky....but the s52 is an alpina engine
@@Euphorica S52 is not related to the Alpina 3.2 aside from the fact they are both derived from the M52 2.8 and they happen to have the same displacement
Nope s50b30
@@michu6777 it absolutely is related. You think manufacturers are blowing wads of cash to redesign a the same engine from the ground up? Lol
Besides there being lots of data online showing these are indeed related.(the same in some reports)... Use your logical reasoning.
@@Euphorica He was just saying that this engine isn't based on the 3.0l S unit but rather on the 2.8 M unit, which is correct. Also Alpina is a manufacturer, not a tuner, at least here in Germany.
THIS is the car I have always wanted to own, that I will always want to own and probably never will. Of all the cars in the world, THIS is the one. I am a huge fan of BMW (especially the older ones), but Alpina is something completely special to me.
Currently own a 1998 Alpina B6 2.8 touring so was thrilled to see this review. It's one of my favorite cars to drive because a previous owner had installed a 5 spd manual. A JDM example #103.
waiiit do all the manual swapped alpinas from the 90s come out of Japan?
@@jimmyneutron5679The entire production run was shipped to Japan, as far as I know. Found a 20 yen coin under the seat rail!
Still have the original transmission and gear,for the purists....
The story behind the JP market B6 2.8 touring is interesting. BMW decided to stop importing the 328i touring to Japan and Alpina knew there was a touring market there. So they created the B6 2.8 Touring to fill the gap left by BMW. The B6 2.8 tourings were not modified as much as a B3 3.2 due to cost and positioning in the marketplace.
@@doctor_tran Spot on! Although not quite as rare as the B3, or as powerful, still my favorite for a deserted mountain road...
Even over my Z4M coupe! That's saying a lot...
@@doctor_tran No, actually the B6 is the first Alpina before they were renamed to B6, like the e30's are called B6.
B6 are based on the 2.5L m50 not on the 2.8L m52, but Alpina continued to exporting them to Japan, but all early e36 alpinas were B6 before the 328 existed.. actually the m52 328i exists because Alpina put a 2.8 on the early E36 models.
The growth of "this" is slowing down at quite a significant rate
Everyone immediately slowing down " Thiss"
Yeah i sold my stocks, i am expecting the growth to stagnate.
I need 1 so bad
Close to where I live there's someone with a B8 4.6 touring, the only V8 E36 you could buy from factory. Only 27 were made.
Shieeet
The ultimate E36
Hi!
Your comment makes me feel to not sell my B8 Touring for a long time :)
It is an import from the Netherlands. There are still Vredestein tyres on it, which are Dutch and good tyres. Like the license plates as well. It was imported into the Netherlands as well by the way. I suspect that this Alpina started it's live in Germany.
Surprisingly Japan. Even more surprising when you realise the steering wheel is on the wrong side :-)
Actually, this car is Japanese. Was then moved over to the NL.
I saw this car for sale in The Netherlands, really cool to see doug reviewing the exact car. Sometimes the world is small!
Doug is the kind of guy who mentions the Alpina extra gauges but totally forgets the custom blue dials and the 300 kph speedo.
How could he miss that? 😱 He didn’t even mention the top speed 😳😱
Great review Doug! I am from Munich and occasionally see Alpinas in the wild. However I’d like to correct you on your statement of the B3 3.2 being the ultimate E36 Touring. In fact only for the E36 Alpina did something very special. They put the (then brand new) 4.0 Liter V8 in the E36, only they bore it out to 4.6 and called it the Alpina B8. They had to make over 50 changes to the chassis, to make it fit. All hand built, 23 in total I believe They tuned it to 333 Ps. 0-60 in 5,6 and 170 mph was mind blowing at the time. Way faster than even the European M3s. My fathers friend had one, when I was a kid and I just loved it. Now they go for well over 60.000 Dollars. Those were truly the ultimate E36 BMW! I wish you luck for a review of an Alpina B8.
Owner of the B3 3.2 Touring here. I also have a B8 4.6 Touring. That's why I am selling the B3 :-) I think Doug was too excited to get his hands on the 3.2 to hear me tell him the true ultimate E36 touring is the 4.6 ;-)
@@doctor_tran Oh my god, really? Please let him review your B8!!! Those cars were so cool! You are a lucky man! Any other cool Alpinas? A B12 5.7 Coupe? Or the B10 3.6 twin turbo? (Those are my all time favorite Alpinas…)
Btw: I drive a E32 740i. So I now your B8‘s engine. At least the basis for it. Great engine over all!!
As they say in Germany: "Alpina for the Autobahn and M for the back roads/race track"
The wheels are 20 spoke soft lines
Awesome wheels to this day
I love my Alpina
Interesting note, BMW bought out Alpina a few months ago. The brand and cars could change significantly in the near future
I love the fact that it still has its Dutch number plate.
Could this be Doug's first review of a Dutch registered car? I thought I'd never see the day ;o)
we dutchies are proud :)
first registered in 2019, so who knows where it came from originally
@@anonymous89105 But I bet some Americans would ask in the comments; "why does this car have a Dutch license plate?" and "What is the Dutch license plate going in the US"
More like how is this car even allowed on the public roads in the US? This car doesn't even have US-sized plates attached at all.
@@automation7295 When he was driving it there appeared to be a US plate in the back window.
Maar bij export horen de platen toch van de auto afgehaald te worden?
1:25
Until their recent sale to BMW Alpina wasn't a tuner, they hadn't been one for a long time by the time the E36 was made.
Alpina was a manufacturer, officially.
They’re still a manufacturer. BMW doesn’t take the wheel until 2025. They’ve been registered as a manufacturer in Germany since the early 80s but weren’t recognised in the UK until 92/93, and even still were registered as “BMW Alpina” rather than “Alpina B3” for example.
A renaissance of high-performance station wagons would be amazing!
I know it’ll never happen, but I’d love to see modern takes on the B3 Alpina come to the US market.
I wish Americans would get over SUVs and realize station wagons offer nearly the same utility with all the performance of a sport sedan.
Great video, Doug! 😀👍
Why do they needa Renaissance? They never went away.
They still sell a B3 touring. Not sure if you can get it in the us though...
Not sure where you live, but for example the Audi Rs6 is fast as fvck and totally badass. No renaissance needed.
@@alkoyyy They didn’t? Who in the United States makes station wagons?
I would love to see station wagons make a huge comeback. I’d rather have a wagon over an SUV any day. My very first car was an old station wagon. A 1971 Ford LTD Country Squire. My second car was another wagon as well. That one was a 1976 Ford Torino country squire. Probably the best car I ever had. It NEVER broke down despite having over 200,000 miles on it. It still looked good as well. I really liked that car. GM, FORD, AND CHRYSLER need to bring back the mighty family wagon with the rear facing seats in the back, and the multi-way tailgate that could either be lowered for tail gating or open to the side…with the electric window that lowered into the tail gate. And the luggage rack up over the top of the wagon section. I wouldn’t even mind if they put wood grain on the sides again. Just give us great gas mileage and a powerful engine under the hood.
There’s always a Volvo
It also exists a E36 Alpina B8 with a 4,6 V8 that also came as a manual and estate version!
Doug - Congrats on FINALLY reviewing another Alpina (to go along with your XB7 review from a couple of years ago). Please, please, please now review a new B8 or, even better, an (F12) B6, which I think is one of the most beautiful cars that Alpina has ever created (and was the most powerful at the time @ 600bhp)!
Yes please more Alpinas
Agreeeeeeed
He can't review cars unless he gets access.
So if you know someone with a B6, have them contact him
@@dwightmanne As a matter of fact I do….me! Lol. 2017 B6 fully loaded and in pristine condition. But it’s not Alpina Blue or Green, it’s Glaciar Silver Metallic (Doug prefers to review his cars in “press” colors). Also, I live in NY, so there’s that. Lol.
@@AdriansB6 that’s one cool Alpina you’ve got there mate!
Doug my first car was a 96 Accord Wagon and to this day I love wagons almost as much as you ! Your Audi is absolutely stunning ! This bmw is so nice ! That Alpina badge on the back is huge !
Who?
@@epiccowboymemes2042 asked
!
The last Accord wagon made...in the US and Canada, that is. Honda sold different body styles of Accord outside of North America (Europe and Asia primarily) for the 6th and 7th generations, both of which had wagons.
32 likes 5 comments and all I wanted was a response from Doug ! .........lol he’s responded for me at least 5 times now so .... I’m still happy ! WHO LOVES DADDY DOUG !
Gorgeous color and touring. The gold days of Alpina and BMW. Sadly those days are non existent today.
Yeah. I have a 2012 touring, and an E38. And id take an e38 over the new stuff any day of the week.
@@cduone definitely. I’m 38 now and happy to say I grew up between E34’s E36’s E39’s and the last BMW I had was a E90 (solid and school BMW feeling)
B3 was entery level e36 Alpina. Ultimate e36 alpina was B8 4.6 with V8...
That’s a fire car bro 🔥 u should play that song “Gandi- Mexico City “ in there 🥶🥶
The first Dutch registrated car I see Doug reviewing! And it has Dutch Vredestein tires as well, as I see! Nice going Dutch here, Doug!
Glad I'm not the only nerd who spotted the tyres matching the registration country!!
Doug I don't usually have any issues with your "Doug Score" but you really undersold the cool factor at a 6.
I think it’s the same as quite a few: if 99% of people walk past it and have no idea what it is, Doug (or anyone) can’t really claim it’s cool. When he used to explain his score he used to say that quite a lot. Even though I know this sort of thing is off the charts for us nerds.
Different people are going to have different ideas of what's cool. It's called a DOUG score for a reason. Don't like it? Start your own UA-cam channel and your own scoring system. Good luck. It's called building your own brand.
@@houseofno I actually do have a scoring system but mines not for cars it’s for assholes. That being said let me be the first person to congratulate you for coming out on top.
That's what it deserves
@6:28 Exhaust tips on 323i (single) and 328i (double) weren't circular. At least not in the EU.
I saw a Mitsubishi Raider V8 AND a Mercedes-Benz B-Class ELECTRIC DRIVE this morning in Northern California lol. Been an interesting car spotting day so far haha.
That raider is as rare as they come lol specially for California
Doug next to a Dutch plate! My life is complete!
Precies
ALPINA B10 Touring (v8) is one the most beautiful car they ever made, especially the spec shown in collecting cars
E34 > E30 >>>>>>>>>>E36 :)
You can still find this car as a Dutch registered car (with all its quirks and features or rather its specs, like hp, torque, 0- 100 time, top speed, sizes, fuel consumption, roadtax etc.) with e.g. the car-app Finnik
Omg please review more legendary Alpinas and Brabus cars. Would love to the E34 B10 Biturbo or a Alpina 7 Series.
excited to see a video in a few months from doug inevitably saying that he bought this car from the upcoming winner on c&b haha
THIS...could be Doug's first Alpina 🙂
They're extremely rare, especially those from the 80's and 90's 😯
I'd still recommend going for the E46 Alpina instead
Doug’s first Alpina 🎉 Let there be plenty more 🎉 ❤Alpinas 🎉
10:44 these features being on the logo was a very common thing manufacturers did back in the 90s, Honda did it with their cars which had their 4ws and awd systems and I believe some awd corollas also had “awd” integrated into the Toyota badge
19:30 Love how Doug is checking out that 911. A true car guy
Golden times for cars
Love how tastefully done those USB ports are. Very cool
If there’s one thing I love about alpinas it’s the wheels, they’ve had this style consistently for so long and I think it’s just beautiful
Oh man, an old Alpina. Now THESE are funky.
If I didn't already have the E55 AMG wagon, this is so tempting.
How reliable is your e55?
@@ojsimpson9516 Mechanically alright. Rear differential bearing was loud, and the plastic clips are starting to break for wiring harness. Biggest issue was some insulation inside the headlights flaking off. These are not big deals. I’ve done two 16 hour road trips in it and never had any worry about it making it. It eats up miles.
Doug. Cmon man, I need at least a 10 second “THISSSSSSSS” next vid.
20:25 perfect cameo in the background, a clean E38 740il on M Pars
The most underrated chassis ever, basically what every SUV owner needs.
Underrated ?
Have you seen the prices E36 fetch ? Even the shittier ones ?
Most SUV owners need seating for seven (or eight) on a regular basis, so this doesn't work for them. This could work for compact/subcompact crossover buyers though.
@@damilolaakanni you are thinking about the US market, with 4% of the world’s population. The other 96% who can afford suvs often buy them as status. An X1 or even an X3 is the worse car, and i think that’s his point.
@@erebostd that's true, but if they had money, won't they look for something newer? Like a modern 3 or 5 series Touring? Just my thoughts.
@@damilolaakanni absolutely. I think that why he used the term „chassis“, or not? Sorry, English isn’t my first language, that’s the way i understood him 🙂
The most impressive thing about this car is that the info display has no dead pixels.
The exterior door handles are nearly identical to my E32 750iL's (these were also common to the E34 5-series cars). Thanks Doug!
Some interesting facts about Alpina:
They started out modifying BMW 2002's for better performance and were originally a tuner company. Later, they won accreditation from the German government as an automotive manufacturer. More recently, BMW bought out Alpina and is now a subsidiary, though still being run autonomously from BMW.
Another interesting fact about Alpina - while you can purchase Alpina wheels, suspension parts as well as exterior and interior cosmetic upgrades (extremely pricey), Alpina will NOT sell you Alpina mechanical parts unless you can prove ownership of an existing registered Alpina automobile. Very difficult and very expensive to get Alpina replacement mechanical aparts from the company aside from parting out an existing Alpina automobile.
I am English had several E34 Tourings.. petrol, diesel.. love them so much.... great for drives around Europe..and room for the dogs. I had to get rid of my last one not too long ago, speed bumps, bad pot hole on roads etc.. just so bad unless a nice smooth road...
Because they are. BMW used these on all models around that time.
He finally made another Alpina video !!!!!
Gotta love the Dutch plates on it!
They also made B8 Wagon out of E36. That has V8 and is much more crazy car
Doug, I really miss your full Doug Score reviews, can you bring them back or have short second videos with them?
I just picked up my E36 Alpina B6 wagon, which was only made for the Japanese market and only 136 total models produced. I will be uploading a video review of it soon on my channel. It's not quite as clean as this example, but I'll be restoring mine to get it into this condition. Great to see what a super clean example looks like!
Interestingly enough, the crossed-out original VIN of this Alpina B3 specifies the model as CF21, which is a 328i Touring, and that's what BMW left off for Alpina to begin their magic with.
What's the original VIN of this Alpina? I tried to type it in VinCheckInfo, but it didn't give anything back to me.
@@MishaMykha That's because the original VIN is invalid as it had 0s for date and check digits.
@@MishaMykha According to the video, the crossed-out original VIN is WBACF21000FV21628. BMW used only the last 7 digits of the VIN as their unique identifier for each vehicle instead of the entire 17-digit sequence, usually 2 letters and 5 numbers. However, this ended in 2019 as BMW began issuing previously-issued identifiers to new vehicles so they were no longer unique. It is not possible to identify an unique BMW vehicle only using the last 7 digits and almost all VIN decoder services required the full 17-digit sequence. In this case, this VIN is invalid from the factory with 0s for the date and check digits, as it was never intended to be valid.
I freaking love wagons.
Our kind of vehicles here in RSA🇿🇦, love your content Doug
This is a lie cause we would rather have hulking suvs
This is gorgeous. One of the best cars you’ve ever reviewed
E36 Tourings are great. But the ALPINA also exists with a V8! :)
Yes, Alpina gave the R6 engine in the B3 E36 some upgrades HOWEVER an even more special Alpina E36 touring exists.. It is the B8 Alpina E36 that has a 4.6L V8... Now that is special because a standard E36 never existed with a V8 😎
I offered my B8 touring for Doug to review as well :-) Hopefully he'll take me up on it if this video does well.
@@doctor_tran you just imported this beauty and now selling already?
@@donkremer6019 Yes because I have a B8 4.6 Touring now. Seems redundant and I have a new G80 M3 (manual) on order and plan to buy another Alpina touring (non-E36) in October. If the car doesn't hit reserve, I'll keep it.
@@doctor_tran ah ok. Well B8 is a different beast.
@@donkremer6019 "Beast" is the best word to describe it :-D
Doug is on fire with E36. Go go DeMuro.
Any older car that he reviews is almost always up for sale
On cars & bids of course!
I could see the center cap mounted fill nozzle helping in really snowy environments
I like the 90s BMWs, they're fun and much more reliable than a brand new one.
Those are the CLEANEST wheels I've ever seen.
And the Alpina wheels are horrible te clean! Ask me how I know.
Alpina did not 'lower the front bumper', they installed a 'deeper air dam' out front. The air dam is a separate piece and not considered part of the bumper. That would have been the proper terminology back in the day.
He’ll figure that out as soon as he learns lift-back is a suitable-er term than calling everything a “hatchback”
Nice to see a Dutch licence plate!
Timeless car, timeless styling, timeless wheels
Also, the current generation of the Alpina B3 Touring is one of the cleanest looking modern cars right now !
Cool as the blue color, like ice
My uncle had the first 3 touring with the m engine.
He asked BMW if they could drop it in and they said yes. - for a fee
( had to stop driving Porsche because of back problems)
@Chairman Mao he lives outside of Munich. Back then it was more like a village. Everyone knew each other.
That must have been in the 80s ( I was 12 - he still had the car when I was 15 , to remember the story)
He went to university with one of the Quandt children.
LOVE LOVE LOVE ORIGINAL ALPINASSSSS!! I WILL OWN A 2018 or a 2020 B7 SOOON
That tyre valve is amazing. In the modern day when we have eco campaigners deflating tyres of cars as a protest. This is suddenly so useful today,
I literally smiled and giggled at that front fascia shot. Such a beautiful car
who remembers when BMWs were gorgeous
LOL @ the replica NL plates on the car! at least they were the legit series RR092J
Absolutely gorgeous wagon!!
Nooooo! Not a Video on the B3!!!These were just coming into my price range!
I always love what Alpina creates…. this, the D5 (diesel), especially the B7…. Sorry but … Way cooler than the Audi-Porsche RS2. Thanks for the video.
Really!!! I’m gonna contact you right away. Let me jus get my credit card and passwords ready. Thanks!
@@kellingtonlink956 Ha ha, do that
@@kellingtonlink956 its a bot
Lmao a bot copied your comment and got a lot of likes
as an owner of an e36 touring, i was so happy to see this notification
Hey Doug, great video! You mentioned @2:24 that the engine was bored from 3 liters to 3.2, however this is not true as the M52 came in 2.8 Liters as the highest displacement, so this would be bored and stroked in order to be an M52B32 in this instance as Alpina did not use an S50B30 in this vehicle and the M54B30 was not conceived at this point.
I need to revisit my info, but it could even be the S52 which is already 3.2 although I vaguely recall a 3.4 version. Then it could even be an S50B30US.
@@donkremer6019 though exceptions may exist, Alpina generally upgraded the Non-M version of the engine, that car started its life as a 328i E36 Wagon and then internals etc were built to Alpina spec, hence the M52B28, you can also check the “crossed off” VIN in a BMW VIN decoder and Im sure it would confirm my theory
@@07RoBdYrDeK07 I checked the Alpina archives, it's indeed an M52B28 used as a basis.
wikipedia says they used 328 body but not engine: body base for the B3 3.0 was a 325i (BMW E36) and a 328i for the B3 3.2. In both models, however, Alpina used the more robust M50 (B25TÜ) cast iron engine, as the M52 engine of the 328i was not suitable for expanding the displacement. Both vehicle variants were available as a coupé (two-door) and sedan (four-door), cabriolet (convertible) and station wagon (touring).
which I would believe since M50 has cast iron block while M52 is aluminium.
@@petrsvetr6083 aluminum block is good to be bored out, how do you think the S52B32 came to be?
It's my birthday and I just watched four doug reviews
idk im bored
Nederlaaaaannddd 🇳🇱
Did you know there was also an Alpina B8 E36? Alpina went and put a modified-by-them BMW M62B40-based 333hp 4.6 litre V8 in the E36, all paired to a 6-speed manual, and made it work. Those are ultra rare and very expensive of course, 221 were made. There was also a 4.0 V8 option which 5 were made of for Japan only.
The E36 was such a great platform. Even the non-M, non-Alpina "mainstream" models - especially ones with the M50 / M52 6 cylinder engines, like the 325i or 328i - are such fun cars when in good condition. They are tight, the 6 cylinder engines have that great sound and character similar to the M3 even in those lesser versions (especially the ones with VANOS), you sit quite low, you just feel like you're sitting in a sporty car in any E36, even if it's a very base spec model with one of the weaker engines. Then the euro M3, these Alpina models, they are the peak of what these can do. Where I live, go to any drift event - be it amateur or pro -, you WILL see E36s there, it's a cheap and capable platform, I know guys who started years ago as amateurs with an almost-stock E36, and are still racing the same car but of course modified to pro standards since then, still being competitive. Mostly with the M50B25 engine which was still iron block and can take turbocharging very well, I've seen several tuned to 350-400hp+ and used regularly without issues. For this same reason unfortunately there are very few that are still nice and untouched even in Europe, they can rust badly and many were modified at one point, no wonder the remaining ones are appreciating now. Same deal was with the E30 quite a few years ago.
If Doug is in the Netherlands, I wonder how he feels now he is average height😆
My dad used to have a Alpina B3s Touring. Very rare car and never seen another one. It was so beautiful
now this is what Doug need to be doing more of 😍
Nice to see a Dutch license plate ;)
Never expected to see a car owned by a guy in my hometown on a Doug video on the other side of the pond, that's sick :O
so amazingly and totally not interesting to anyone but you, why would you think anyone would care that a car is from your hometown?
Doug ---- you should review Dinan built BMWs. They are a California based shop that builds quality, fast, BMW cars.
The car was imported to the Netherlands in 2019 (that's why it has Dutch license plates) it doesn't say when it came to the US in 2016 it was in a accident (hit right rear, and right front €3000,00 - €4000,00 of damage) and 2017 (hit in rear €2000,00 of damage) last know miles 70.000 km
That would explain the new format Dutch number plates. But seeing the US plate sticking at the rear windows, I'd say it's a fresh import.
So nothing wrong except for new front and rear bumpers with special metallic paint that costs a fortune and no official dealership visit for 80.000 km?
BUY IT DOUG
Imported but it still has the Dutch plates 😃
I noticed that too, Can't say i expected that XD
Kind of funny to see the kind of plate i see every day when it was least expected
Fantastic '90's through back review from the golden era.
Alpinas are always specced so much nicer than M cars are... The people who order them are real connoisseurs.
Thank you.
Pinnacle of the BMW brand right here
I guess there is a alternative to those who hate the new M3
Bmws of 90s🌟🌟🌟