page_title: Alpina
section_title: E38 B12
hierarchical_section_title: Alpina / 7 Series based Alpinas / E38 B12
caption_attribution_description: Alpina, a German manufacturer that specializes in the production of modified BMWs, only made about 300 E38 B12s (predecessor of the modern B7) and the model was never officially imported to the USA. That makes this an especially rare sighting, probably the rarest one I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The placement of the steering wheel on this example indicates that it was probably privately imported from the UK.
context_page_description: Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany that develops and sells high-performance versions of BMW cars.
  Alpina works closely with BMW and their processes are integrated into BMW's production lines, thus Alpina is recognized by the German Ministry of Transport as an automobile manufacturer, in contrast to other performance specialists which are aftermarket tuners. For instance, the Alpina B7 is produced at the same assembly line in Dingolfing, Germany, as BMW's own 7 Series. The B7's twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 is assembled by hand at Alpina's facility in Buchloe, Germany, before being shipped to BMW for installation, and the assembled vehicle is then sent back to Alpina for finishing touches.
  The firm was founded in 1965 by Burkard Bovensiepen, a member of the Bovensiepen family of industrialists.
context_section_description: Based on the BMW 750i and 750iL, Alpina released the B12 5.7 in 1995 and the B12 6.0 in 1999. In contrast to the cars they are based on, these models are not electronically limited to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), but are able to reach top speeds of more than 280 km/h (174 mph) and 291 km/h (181 mph), respectively. According to Alpina the B12 5.7 was the world's first vehicle with an electrically heated metal catalyst as standard. The B12 5.7 has a 5.7 litre V12 and the B12 6.0 has a 6.0 litre V12.
caption: Alpina B12 6.0
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