50 Years Fast: Alpina Drops Exclusive B3 to Celebrate BMW's SA Anniversary

Alpina, the German company renowned for crafting high-performance versions of BMW cars, has crafted a limited edition sedan to commemorate the 50th anniversary of BMW South Africa. The Alpina B3 AWD 50 Years of BMW South Africa edition, available exclusively in South Africa, comes in the distinctive Alpina Green II metallic paint finish.

Inspired by the collaboration between BMW South Africa and Alpina in the mid-1980s, which resulted in the iconic BMW 333i, the special edition features Alpina Classic 20-inch forged wheels, various Alpina decals, and full leather Merino Black seats adorned with the BMW South Africa 50 Years anniversary logo.

Each of the five units is labeled as one of five “50 Years an Icon, BMW South Africa” cars, with additional Alpina embellishments on the door sills and a sport leather steering wheel.

Powered by a 3.0L, six-cylinder inline engine with two Alpina-specific mono-scroll turbochargers, the sedan produces 364kW and 730Nm of torque. The Alpina B3 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in a claimed 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 305 km/h.

It boasts Alpina’s high-performance sport chassis with sport suspension, variable damper control, a sports exhaust system, and a brake system with special heat-resistant brake pads and drilled disc brakes.

All five units of the limited-edition Alpina B3 50 Years of BMW South Africa have been sold at a cost of R2,960,341 each and will be delivered to their owners this month.

BMW Group South Africa celebrated its 50th anniversary throughout 2023, including a R4.2 billion investment in the Rosslyn plant to produce the next-generation BMW X3 plug-in hybrid from late 2024.