One of Forty-Two: 1988 Alpina E28 B7 Turbo/1 Katalysator
Before we launch into a description of this very special Alpina, let’s dispense with a prevailing controversy around why and how this car is listed on eBay and the seller himself, prompted by questions about the BMW M3 EVO II covered by Adam Clarke. I contacted the seller and tied this Alpina to his bona-fide purchase of it here in 2021. The eBay descriptions of his cars are very general and are written by a young employee to broadcast that the cars are available; individual details are willingly released upon contacting the seller via eBay. He manages a private museum comprised largely of Porsches; sales are made to upgrade the inventory. As a matter of faith in this conversation, I am high bidder on this car as I write this, though I do not expect that circumstance to last long because the car is fantastic, rare, and worthy of inclusion in garages far fancier than mine. (Can you see this next to the Midget??)
Alpina was founded in 1965 in Kaufbeuren, Germany by Burkard Bovensiepen to build and tune performance parts for BMW engines. It was closely integrated with BMW for decades. In March of 2022, BMW acquired Alpina outright. In the 1980s, when this car was built, producing an Alpina involved extensive handfitting, beginning with the engine. This one began life as a 3.5-liter six-cylinder, good for 214 hp from the factory. Alpina massaged the engine by altering the camshaft, cylinder head, and exhaust manifold; reprogramming the Motronic management system; and installing lighter pistons. Oh, and of course, adding the 3K (Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch) K27 turbocharger. These ingredients brought output to 300 hp – only 278 of these beasts were made. But the story doesn’t stop there: forty-two of these were fitted with sport catalytic converters. Alpina claims 320 hp for this version, along with increased torque. Uprated suspension, ventilated disc brakes, and a five-speed Getrag manual round out the mechanical package. Zero to sixty will take about 6 seconds. This car was imported from the Netherlands; its odometer reads just under 140,000 km. It has been driven fewer than 3000 km since it was last sold in late 2021.
Alpina redesigned the car’s interior to suit its sporting ambition, with Recaro seats (leather upholstery was optional), a special steering wheel, Alpina-badged gearshift knob, and bespoke gauges. This car is in outstanding condition, even retaining its tool kit. The seller mentioned documentation from the prior Dutch owner to accompany the sale; photos of these items can be seen in the prior listing.
A sharky front valence, rear spoiler, subtle striping, and special wheels are Alpina-only items. The paint is Diamantschwarz Metallic; the car’s history includes some paintwork and the replacement of the sunroof panel. And now, it’s time to talk about value. The car is listed here on eBay, with my bid at $26,100, ludicrously low for a car of this caliber, and of course, far from whatever reserve has been set. The previous sales price was $163k. An altered 1987 Alpina B7 Turbo/3 Katalysator (the “3” designating cars delivered to Japan) has been shopped around, failing to sell at $72.5k, selling finally at $110k, then failing again at $89k. This six-series Alpina found a home for $140k two years ago, thanks to RM Sotheby’s. Hard to tell what an Alpina E28 B7 Turbo/1 Katalysator will sell for, but short of a miracle, I won’t be funding it, much as I would love to own it.
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Comments
Michelle thank you for the feedback on the seller.
Interestingly, Alpina’s over here were only Tudors, (sorry I’m a Ford lover lol), 2 door coupe.
Nice looking car tho,and it’s a manual, very big plus.
Already have a four door bemmer, so this can’t excite me. (E30 318i soon to be an M3 clone)
Beautiful car! Of all the cars I’ve owned over the years my 88 535i with a 5-speed was one of those cars that left a lasting impression. Once you remove the federal bumpers you turn it from an ugly ducking to a pretty swan. Build quality was top notch. Car had so much driving character. I still wish I had it.
My 5-series was an ’87. Handled like a sports car. Loved it.
I worked with a guy – a quiet engineer – and we got to talking cars. I told him I had an Audi and he said he had a BMW. So, we went outside to admire our rides.
I had an ’02 A4 Avant with a chipped 1.8T manual. I told him it was a lot of fun and powerful enough for what it was. Then we went over to see his ride – a first gen M5! He offered to take me for a ride and I figured that he drove it mildly. Nope, we went for a hell ride and I was amazed at the power and handling.
It sparked my need for a German special, so my next car was a 2000 S4. I resisted the common urge to upgrade the turbos because it had that right combo of power and handling, reminding me of that ride in the M5. And, nothing beats a good sport seat (Recaro).
[Pauses typing, attaches drool cup]
Is this the only thing better than an E28 M5? SO want, still dreaming.
Excellent sleuthing Michelle and good info/background about the origins of the model.
Many of us like you would welcome this into the garage but the end price will be far above what a lot of us can afford, relegating some of us to older model BMW’s with just 2 wheels…not that those are ever really a bad thing!
If BMW ever made a lousy car, I have yet to see it. So many nice cars we never got to see in ol’ beer city. I feel like I got a lesson in German with the description, and “katalysator” is a Dutch word that means,,,,catalyst,,of course. Diamanshwarz? Diamond black, or a fancy term for metallic flat black. My driving days are all but over, I have a rough time gearing up for the 1.5 mile trip to Walmart, but you know, if I had a car like this, the trip would be a ,,,trip! Beautiful cars, and while my daughter could afford any car in Hollywood,, while I wished she’d have gone with the Caddy, she certainly impressed me with a BMW.
“1988 Alpina E28 B7 Turbo/1 Katalysator” holy crap on toast, I would never be able to remember all of that. So much for being able to tell people what car I have.
Don’t forget the Getrag “funfganggetreibe”!
Or the laderdruck.
All the more difficult because there were B7 Turbo/1’s on platforms other than the E28!
Beautiful car, stick, class plus looks mean , probably sounds great too. I hope you win it!
There was an interesting restoration of an Alpina recently on Car SOS. These cars were very high tech in their day. Good luck with your bidding Michelle.
https://youtu.be/ScZi_ZX0ioQ?si=-ODwJ-3oXkHzkKZg
Mean business. Had the cred to cash the check. 300 hp in the middle eighties was serious output before computerized engine management reached the level we know today. Thank you for the language lesson. Howard, it may have been the BMW brochure that taught me my limited German vocabulary. Can I say that although we like the idea of air bags, steering wheels were so much more handsome before safety took over.
These are SERIOUS cars. This was a rocket ship in its day. I think I would prefer the cloth seats with the Alpina colors.
Alpinas never disappointed. I remember Car and Driver loving them. Mild looks, awesome rims, and very fast, w high top end. 👌
We as a community should start a Go-Fund-Me for Michelle to help assist the purchase of this fantastic Alpina!
Ha ha! You are too kind…. How about if we start a GoFundMe so we can all buy it! We could share it across the country. Would that be fun or what!
Ended at $45,028.
Reserve Not Met.
Relisted at a starting price of 25K.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/387471693909
Nice as this is, I’d rather have a 6-series Alpina because of its looks. The four doors don’t have the same visual panache.
i love this car and I don’t know who Michelle Rand is, but she has impeccable taste. she needs to follow me on IG so I can see what kind of performance specimens she might be hiding from all of us lol. I have a suspicion that there are a few nice sporting automobiles in her garage!!!!