Mark-x Posted February 14, 2019 Posted February 14, 2019 Alpina has done more than upgrade the engine: A new stainless-steel Alpina exhaust system equipped with active exhaust valves offers reduced weight and back pressure. Controlled by the Driving Experience Control switch, drivers can alternate the exhaust sound from comfort to sport. Alpina has also revised the suspension system of its 7-Series, offering variable ride height settings with a range of 1.4 inches. When the sport-plus mode is selected, or at speeds above 140 mph, the car lowers its ride height by 0.6 inches to offer better handling and a lower center of gravity. Drivers can also raise the ride height by 0.8 inches when road conditions call for it, which is a feature that works up to a speed of 20 mph. Of course, a sedan that can do 205 mph needs all the stopping power it can get, which is why Alpina has fitted the B7 with a revised braking system that features four-piston calipers up front with 15.55-inch-by-1.42-inch discs, while out back the B7 gets floating calipers with larger 15.67 x 1.10 inch discs. When it comes to exterior upgrades, Alpina has fitted the B7 with front and rear bumpers of its own design, the latter featuring integrated exhaust tips from Alpina's own stainless steel sports exhaust system. A small spoiler has been added to the trunk lid (which also demonstrates just how much downforce the car needs at 205 mph), while the B7 sits on 8.5 x 20-inch and 10 x 20-inch Alpina Classic wheels wearing 255/40 ZR20 tires up front and 295/35 ZR20 in the rear. The tuning house also offers 21-inch wheels as an option. On the inside Alpina has reworked the cabin in its usual style, with plenty of leather. Since a good number of these cars will be chauffeur-driven in real life, as an option Alpina also offers Rear Executive Lounge Seating, designed to maximize rear seat comfort and connectivity. "In addition to four-zone automatic climate control and individual electrically adjustable comfort seats with massage function, the equipment package also includes active seat ventilation for all seats and an Executive Lounge Rear Console with Rear-seat entertainment Experience including a BMW Touch Command tablet," BMW says. "The Rear-seat entertainment system comprises two 10-inch full-HD displays complete with a Blu-ray player," BMW adds. "The system allows users to access the entertainment, navigation and online functions of the vehicle from the rear seats. The viewing angle of the screens, which now have touchscreen functionality, can be adjusted in accordance with the rear seat passengers’ seat position. Further improved hardware is the defining characteristic of the latest version of the BMW Touch Command unit. This removable tablet with a screen diagonal of seven inches can be used from any seat and even outside the vehicle." How much does a 205-mph luxury sedan with 600 hp on tap cost? The B7 will start at $142,695 in the U.S., and it already comes with just about all the options you'll need. As far as 200-mph-plus cars go, this appears to be quite a bargain, one which will be available starting in the second half of 2019. Now, if you could only find a place in the U.S. where you can actually reach 205 mph and safely decelerate from that speed. BMW's mid-cycle update for the 7-Series won't be hard to spot in traffic thanks to its ever-larger kidney grilles, but the first major refresh for Munich's flagship has helped achieve something else for longtime BMW tuner Alpina: The world's fastest sedan you can buy this year in the U.S. Alpina, as you recall, has been tuning BMW cars for the past 50 years, and one its most po[CENSORED]r models has been a reworked version of the 7-Series, which for the past couple of the generations has been dubbed the B7. Despite the fact that BMW offers a 6.6-liter V12 in the 7-Series, that isn't the engine you'll find under the hood of the Alpina's B7. Instead, the B7 uses a 4.4-liter V8 with two twin-scroll turbochargers tuned to 600 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, paired with an eight-speed sport automatic transmission by ZF. Alpina has added intercoolers of its own design along with engine and transmission software, resulting in peak torque being on tap from just 2,000 rpm. "Transmission components such as the torque converter with lock-up clutch and the planetary gear sets are reinforced and along with the inner transmission cooling are designed to cope with the high torque output of the twin-turbocharged V8 engine," BMW adds. "This means that no torque reduction is necessary during upshifts." The result is improved throttle response, along with better performance in the most crucial rpm range. Alpina says that the B7 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 205 mph. The previous version of the B7 was just a fraction slower, pulling off launches in 3.6 seconds and boasting a top speed of 194 hp.
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