We were lucky, though, to encounter little snow on the roads, even high in the mountains, because that might have uncovered the weakness of rear-wheel drive and 265-section tyres. I doubt even snow socks would have been able to help us out.
14 May 2025: Forget it being a diesel, this is still a thoroughbred
Is my E90-generation D3 a proper Alpina?
They’re a bit like Porsche’s 996-generation 911s, in that there’s little love lost over them and they’re seen as being a bit uncool.
After all, in 1995 Alpina had stuck a 4.6-litre 333bhp V8 in an E36 3 Series, yet by 2007 they thought a 2.0-litre diesel was appropriate.
I admit that sounds like something of a letdown, and quite frankly it’s difficult to get excited by the engine, which in this case wasn’t as key to the package as an engine should be in an Alpina.
There is a reason for that, however. In the early 2000s, Alpina found itself in financial trouble, and it needed an affordable ‘volume’ seller to raise some revenue and help balance the books. Step in the D3.
It had a Garrett turbo, the injectors and intercooler from a 535d and a special suspension set-up to give that famous Alpina ride.
With 197bhp and more than 300lb ft it was enough to get from 0-62mph in 7.4sec, which wasn’t too bad almost 20 years ago.
In the end, Alpina produced just over 2000 D3s across eight years. That’s nothing for most manufacturers, but it was enough to keep the lights on in this case.
Carina Bovensiepen, the granddaughter of Alpina founder Burkard, agrees with me: “I’m also the proud owner of an E91 D3 with a manual gearbox – the last one for Alpina. Part of Alpina’s philosophy is long-distance touring, and fuel consumption is a large part of that, so it’s a complete lie that it is not a real Alpina. Plus, you can have a lot of fun with the car, and not just in the snow!”
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