
The Alpina B7 Bi-Turbo long wheelbase revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show today doesn't add anything to the less well-endowed Alpina B7 we saw at Geneva except length, but isn't that enough? The double-turbo'd 4.4-liter V8 brings 507 romping horsepower and 516 lb-ft. of torque – all of which is enough to get the white whale to sixty in 4.8 seconds.
Alpina's custom 21-inchers support an interior package touched up with the tuner's logo throughout. Our only cause for pause: the much larger steering wheel; the smaller diameter unit in the regular BMW helps to make the execu-barge a hoot to throw around a track.





Controversial BMW designer Chris Bangle may be out of the picture, but Bimmer's new 7-Series still bears his hallmarks. That aside, the new F01-generation holds much promise, with the possibility of a seemingly endless succession of performance variants speeding down the autobahn in hot pursuit. Rumors of an M7 may turn out to be unfounded, although a V12 version looks to be on the way. But not before pseudo-works tuning house Alpina lays their new B7 on us. The high-performance luxury sedan is tipped to bow next month at the Geneva show, but an undisguised prototype has just been spotted on German streets. Following the teaser sketch released by Alpina back in December, this is the most we've seen of the upcoming bahn-stormer. Visible mods to the standard 7 remain low-key on the Alpina version, but the spy shots show small lip spoilers on the lower fascia and on the trunk lid, rounded out by bigger wheels. But the real treat will come under the hood, where Alpina's performance gurus are thought to have pulled 500 juicy horsepower out of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8.


Among the most iconic racing events held around the world, few American races have the clout to rival the 12 Hours of Sebring. Names like Andretti, Fangio and Moss have made it famous, and the annual "once around the clock" event continues as a mainstay of the American Le Mans Series calendar. But if you're going to count down the hours until the finish line, you're going to need the right equipment. At least, that's what the event's promoters figured when they teamed up with Swiss watchmaker Alpina Genève to offer an official timepiece of the race: the Alpina Extreme 12 Hours of Sebring. The watch's case is made of black steel, with a matte black dial said to be reminiscent of the track surface with the requisite bit of carbon fiber at the center. The branding for a 12-hour race and a 12-hour watch practically creates itself, but we're impressed that the folks at Alpina resisted the urge to go all chrome and lacquer, opting for a decidedly subdued look instead. Only 257 examples will be offered, to commemorate the 57th running of the race this coming March 18-21, 2009.
