Alpina will return to America with a 500 HP 7-series named the 2010 BMW Alpina B7. 20-spoke wheels, FTW! Tacky body kits not so much.
So what's an Alpine B7? It's a 2010 7-Series with a breathed-on version of BMW's twin-turbo V8 producing 500 HP and 516 Lb-Ft of torque. Like most recent Alpina's you shift through the 6-speed auto with wheel-mounted buttons. The whole mess is lowered by around a centimeter, but all the acronym-laden computer aids we've come to expect from BMW are still there in the form of Dynamic Damping, Active Roll Stabilization, Dynamic Traction Control and Dynamic Stability Control, which is apparently what it takes to keep a 500 HP car that weighs 5,000lbs on the straight and narrow or, what it takes to make a car wearing 21" wheels ride well. Buyers will also get a tacky bodykit and a bunch of blue stuff on the interior. Alpinas will be available from BMW dealers later this year, but there's no word on price yet.
Us? We still want an E30 with a straight-six from the M5 in it. [BimmerFile]