Short Drive: ALPINA Roadster V8

A supercar or a roadster? The same very question was posed by the famous Top Gear host Jeremy Clark where referencing the BMW Z8. In …

A supercar or a roadster? The same very question was posed by the famous Top Gear host Jeremy Clark where referencing the BMW Z8. In our recent trip toPebble Beach, we had the opportunity to drive the “step-brother” of the Z8, an ALPINA Roadster V8, a vehicle with similar looks, but with ALPINA DNA underneath.

In 2003, the final model year, the BMW Z8 model was augmented by the ALPINA V8 Roadster which marked the entry of Buchloe-based company into the American market. Also, the Roadster V8 was the first ALPINA model that offered less power than the base BMW model.

Instead of the original six-speed manual and 4.9 L (S62) engine featured in earlier Z8′s, the ALPINA came only as an automatic, using a five-speed BMW Steptronic transmission coupled to a downgraded upgraded 4.8 liter ALPINA-tuned V8 motor from the original X5.

Power was reduced to 375 horsepower while peak torque was raised to 383 lb-ft (519 Nm). Its power peak comes at 5800 rpm, vs. 6600; its torque peak occurs at the same 3800 rpm.

The electronically limited top speed was officially raised to 161 mph (259 km/h).

To market the car towards a Tourer or a comfortable Roadster, ALPINA also tuned the suspension, offering a more relaxed setting, a “feature” that became evident in our short drive around Pebble Beach and its curvy roads. The Roadster V8 offered more bodyroll that one would expect from a vehicle of this size and construction, and the ride was softer that we have seen in other roadsters.

Cornering through the hills of the Carmel Valley was a bit more challenging than we expected, rear tires were skidding and understeering occurred quite often.

The car compensates though with its agility coming from more than sufficient 375 ponnies and its quick-shifting Steptronic transmission tuned by ALPINA, even though we would have preferred to see the six-speed manual in this car.

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