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Limousine better than super sports car? Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo against Ferrari Testarossa

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Created on August 14, 2014

Reading time 4min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

BMW AG

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

BMW AG

Archiv

Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - zwei völlig unterschiedliche Designsprachen

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - mit breiten Michelin-Reifen

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - wer ist der Schnellere?

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - der Ferrari hat die höhere Entgeschwindigkeit

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - Limousine versus Sportwagen

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - der BMW wirkt mit 1,75 Metern richtig schmal neben dem 1,975 Meter breiten Ferrari

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Ferrari Testarossa (1989) - die Linienführung der Neunzigerjahre

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Ferrari Testarossa (1989) - ein ausbrechendes Heck verlang nach Feingefühl

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Ferrari Testarossa (1989) - die Strasse darf lieber ein wenig breiter sein

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - sieht bei jedem Tempo schnell aus

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Ferrari Testarossa (1989) - nur wenige Testarossa wurden im Winter bewegt

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - abhängen lässt sich der BMW nicht

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Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - die BMW-Niere und das Marken-Emblem

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - er lässt sich einfach nicht abschütteln

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - ja, will der da zum Überholen ansetzen?

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - handlich zu fahren auf Landstrassen

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Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - schöne Alpina-Räder

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Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - auch der BMW zeigt 320 km/h auf dem Tacho

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Ferrari Testarossa (1989) - Tacho bis 320 km/h, da hebt eine B747 bereits ab

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Ferrari Testarossa (1989) - klassische Ferrari-Aluräder

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Ferrari Testarossa (1989) - die berühmten seitlichen Lufteinlässe des Testarossa

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Ferrari Testarossa und Alpina-BMW B10 Biturbo (1989) - längs eingebauter Reihensechszylinder versus V12-Motor

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BMW 525 (1974) - elegant auch in Grün, E12

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BMW 524td (1983) - Baureihe E28 - zweite Generation des Fünfers mit Dieselmotor

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BMW 528i (1976) - Baureihe E12, die erste Generation des Fünfers

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BMW 520i (1981) - die zweite Generation E28

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BMW 520i (1981) - zweite Generation E28 im Schnee

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BMW 524td (1984) - die zweite Generation, auch E28 genannt

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BMW 525 (1974) - charmant präsentierte erste Generation

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BMW 520i (1985) - zweite Generation, Baureihe E28

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BMW 520i (1985) - auch die zweite Generation E28 wusste durch Eleganz zu überzeugen

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BMW 520i (1990) - die elegante Linienführung des E34

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BMW 520i (1990) - E34 als Zweiliter-Einstiegsmodell mit Reihensechszylinder

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BMW 520i (1990) - schöner Heckabschluss des E34

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BMW M5 (1990) - kaum von seinen schwächeren Brüdern unterscheidbar

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BMW M5 (1992) - der potente Spitzenläufer der Serie E34

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BMW M5 (1992) - ein indirekter Nachfahre des M1

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BMW M5 (1992) - Piloten fuhren ihn besonders gerne

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BMW M5 (1992) - zu seiner Zeit der schnellste BMW

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BMW M5 (1990) - der E34 war mit 4, 6 oder 8 Zylinder zu haben

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BMW M5 (1992) - die Serie E234 wurde von 1987 bis 1996 gebaut

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BMW M5 (1990) - der Motor des stärksten 5-ers der Serie E34

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BMW 528i (1996) - die vierte Generation E39

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Ferrari 365 GT/4 BB - 117'500 Franken teuer, 380 PS stark und 302 km/h schnell gemäss Werk - am Genfer Automobilsalon 1974

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Ferrari BB Berlinetta Boxer am Genfer Automobilsalon 1972 - bereits von Turin bekannte wunderschöne Pininfarina-Schöpfung

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Ferrari BB (1971) - vier Heckleuchten und vier Auspuffrohre bei diesem Vorserienmodell

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Ferrari BB (1971) - ein Vorserienfahrzeug von schräg vorne gesehen

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Ferrari 512 BB (1980) - Vergaser-512 im Profil

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Ferrari BB (1971) - am Turiner Autosalon 1971

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Ferrari Testarossa (1984) - auf einem frühen Pressefoto

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Ferrari Testarossa (1984) - der asymmetrische Aussenspiegel wurde später durch einen normal tief liegenden ersetzt

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Ferrari Testarossa (1984) - nur die frühen Exemplare sind unverfälscht

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Ferrari Testarossa (1984) - atemberaubende Silhouette

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Ferrari Testarossa (1984) - der charakteristische hoch montierte Rückspiegel verschwand im Jahr 1985

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Ferrari Testarossa (1984) - obwohl technisch verwandt mit dem Vorgänger BB, sah er optisch völlig anders aus

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Ferrari Testarossa (1984) - die ausgeprägten Flanken mit den langen Kühlrippen sind charakteristisch für den Mittelmotor-Ferrari

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Ferrari Testarossa (1984) - er war eines der breitesten Autos seiner Zeit

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Ferrari Testarossa (1984) - Durchsichtszeichnung enthüllt die Innereien

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Summary

In 1984, Ferrari presented the Testarossa super sports car, followed five years later by the small luxury car manufacturer Alpina with the B10 Biturbo, which could easily compete with the Ferrari in terms of performance. As a modified five-seater of the E34 series, however, the Alpina had lost none of its suitability for everyday use for transporting up to five people and luggage. So was the B10 Biturbo the better alternative and what does it look like today, 25 years later? This report compares the two different vehicles and shows them in historical images, supplemented by photos of the predecessors and successors.

This article contains the following chapters

Competition of concepts
On the straight
And in the bends?
The sedan as the winner?
And 25 years later?
Further information

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Those were the days when 360 hp was enough to make the Alpine-BMW B10 Biturbo the fastest production sedan in the world! And the most powerful Ferrari, the Testarossa model, could hardly offer more with 390 hp. Burkard Bovensiepen, the man behind the independent vehicle manufacturer in Buchloe, had created a (relatively) inconspicuous saloon. A BMW 535i from the E34 series, the third generation of the five-seater, served as the basis. Using two water-cooled Garrett turbochargers, it increased the output from 211 to 360 hp and the torque from just under 300 Nm to 520 Nm, although this could only be achieved with a high oxygen content in the air. A steam wheel inside the engine allowed the boost pressure to be adjusted between 0.6 and 0.8 bar. Of course, the B10 Biturbo, as Bovensiepen called his high-flyer, had all the typical Alpina goodies but, in keeping with the company's tradition, lost hardly any of its suitability for everyday use. On the contrary.

Welcome to Zwischengas!