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This Alpina C1 is a rare bit of BMW 3 Series history

Over its five decades in the business, German tuner-turned-automaker Alpina has established a long history of taking great BMWs and making them just a bit tastier, more luxurious, and well... faster. Of course, they haven't always been the land rockets of modern day, however that's not to say they were exactly tame. Back in the early 1980s, this was one of the cars to have—an Alpina C1 2.3. Based on the original E21 BMW 3-series, the C1 2.3 bridged the performance gap between the standard BMW 323i and Alpina's hard-charging B6 2.8. It summoned up a heady 170 horsepower and disposed of the 60 mph sprint in just seven and a half seconds. Not shabby at all. 33 years later, this '83 Alpina C1 is back up for sale , and it's still quite the head-turner. RELATED: Check Out the Hard-Charging 2016 Alpina B6 xDrive A look back at the C1's contemporary relatives show just how wide Alpina's performance gap had been. Introduced in 1977, the BMW 323i offered up 141 horsepower courtesy of BMW's famed M20 straight-six engine, a big performance improvement over the E21's previous four-cylinders. The Alpina B6 2.8 3-series on the other hand, introduced in 1978, blew its doors off thanks to the bigger 2.8-liter straight-six plucked from the BMW 528i, offering up 200 horsepower. All that, in an early 3-series. With that in mind, a middle-of-the-pack car made sense, so Alpina treated the 323i's straight-six to some of the B6 2.8's goodies, minus the former's Bosch fuel-injection system. Bilstein shocks were part of the diet too, along with oversized disc brakes, sleek alloy wheels, as well as the tell-tale Alpina front splitter, rear spoiler, and racy side-stripes. RELATED: The BMW Isetta is Coming Back, But as an Electric Vehicle! Inside, Alpina added a dose of luxury as well. One could order their C1 2.3 with the gorgeous optional Recaro seats with Alpina stripes, as well as a bespoke leather steering wheel, gear knob, and speedometer. Top speed? About 130 mph. Compared to regular E21 BMW 3-series cars, these are quite rare. How rare is a point of debate, however. Production estimates range from as few as 35 to as many as 400, depending on the source. Regardless, you certainly don't see them everyday, and if this one fits your fancy... it lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Related Video: This article originally appeared on Boldride.com. Aftermarket BMW Auctions Coupe Classics eBay alpina

2019 BMW Z5 shows off its soft top

BMW continues development work on the Z5, which will succeed the Z4 in its lineup for the 2019 model year. These latest spy shots again show off the Z5's classic sports-car proportions during testing on European roads. As expected, the roadster will switch to a cloth top instead of the retractable hardtop the Z4 uses. The much-anticipated Z5 will be based on a rear-wheel-drive platform that's jointly developed with Toyota. Rumors persist Toyota's version will mark the return of the Supra name, though the Japanese automaker has been silent on the matter. Reports say the cars could be assembled by Magna Steyr in Austria. We expect the Z5 will run four- and six-cylinder engines, and the soft top will help the roadster reduce weight and likely improve performance. It's also possible BMW will build a fixed-roof Z5. We predict the Z5 will appear on the auto show circuit within the next year. The long-running Z4 launched for 2009. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 BMW Z5 View 10 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos BMW Toyota Convertible Performance bmw z5

BMW i3 gets official worldwide

Even though we recently drove a near-production version of the BMW i3, the car still wore light exterior and interior camouflage. Today, BMW took off that little bit of camo and made a big announcement: The i3 will go on sale in the US for $41,350 in the second quarter of 2014. That does not include any state or federal incentives that could lower the price or the $925 destination fee. The i3 will debut with three trim levels, which BMW is referring to as Worlds: Mega (standard in the US), Giga and Tera.
The BMW i3 is chock-full of new technology afforded by its design as an EV from the start of development, which has resulted in a vehicle layout unique to the i3. BMW has named it LifeDrive architecture, and it features the Life Module and the Drive Module. The Life Module is the i3's pillar-less passenger cell, which is the first mass-produced monocoque made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The tougher-than-steel material is also 30-percent lighter than aluminum, which contributes to the i3's relatively light weight of 2,700 pounds (preliminary US figure) and, in turn, increases its energy efficiency. Expect more of this technology to find its way into future BMWs.
The Drive Module, a 100-percent aluminum chassis mounted under the Life Module, houses everything that makes the i3 go. It includes the 22-kilowatt, 450-pound lithium ion battery mounted as centrally as possible, and provides power to a rear-mounted electric motor that turns the rear wheels. With 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque from zero rpm, the single-gear i3 can accelerate from 0-30 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds and 0-60 mph in about 7.0 seconds, but it has a top speed of only 93 mph. BMW says the i3 has a real-world EV range of 80-100 miles, and the standard charger can fill the battery in three hours. Opt for the SAE DC Combo Fast Charger and 30 minutes is all it takes for a full charge; 20 minutes will bump the battery to 80 percent. For customers who have range anxiety, BMW gives them the option to install a 34-hp, 650cc two-cylinder generator as a range extender for the electric drive system.