Alpina has only built 555 Roadster V8 units, and the car with the chassis number 151 is being auctioned off right now with top bid exceeding $250,000 and a week remaining.
The tuner unveiled its own rendition of the BMW Z8 roadster eighteen years ago, when the Bavarian carmaker had already finished producing it. The donor vehicle made use of a five-liter V8 engine – the same as the one found in the M5 E39 – and a six-speed manual transmission. It was rated at 400 PS (394 hp / 294 kW).
Alpina swapped the mill for a 4.8-liter V8 good for 375 PS (370 hp / 276 kW) and hooked it up with a five-speed auto gearbox. It also reworked the suspension to ensure softness and comfort during prolonged trips.
With only 51 kilometers, or 32 miles, on the odometer, the black roadster must have been purchased purely as a collector’s item. It comes with both a folding soft top and a removable hardtop, boasts Xenon headlamps, 20-inch in-house wheels, AC, leather cabin, Harman/Kardon audio, and a CD changer.
Observers say the car might end up setting a new price record across BMW Z8s. The highest the model ever fetched at this specific auction was $270,000. Then again, a rare 1957 BMW 507 went under the hammer for $1,957,507 in last November, so an absolute record it is not.