Manual-swapped 1996 Alpina B3 Touring for sale
THERE are three things that can elevate a BMW. The first is the wagon (or Touring in BMW speak) body style. The second is manual transmission, and the third is Alpina.
The Alpina B3 Touring has all three. It is currently up for auction on the ‘Bring a Trailer’ website, with the current bid standing at $20,250 (RM95,985) at the time of writing.
Only 89 units of the B3 Touring were ever produced, and this particular unit is #23. Built in September 1996, it was initially delivered to Nicole Racing Japan before being exported to the Netherlands in 2017. In 2022, it was imported to the United States.
The car still sports its original metallic blue paint, along with the Alpina body kit and 17-inch multispoke alloy wheels. Making it stand out further are the gold-tone Alpina graphics on the side and rear.
Inside, the seats and door panels are upholstered in black fabric with green and blue stripes, while the floor is protected by Alpina carpeting. The steering wheel is leather-wrapped with two-tone stitching and features the Alpina logo on the steering boss.
Under the hood lies a 3.2-litre inline-six engine producing 265 hp and 329 Nm of torque. Several maintenance works were made in 2023, including the reconstruction of the Vanos system and the replacement of the cylinder head gasket, fuel pressure regulator, fuel injectors, oxygen sensors, and more. The mileage is approaching 176,000 km.
The #23 B3 Touring was initially equipped with an automatic transmission, but it was replaced with a Getrag 420G six-speed manual transmission from sourced from an E46 M3. It was installed this year along with a Limited-Slip Differential (LSD).
Interestingly, the removed automatic transmission is included in the sale along with additional spare parts and a scale model.
