BMW Alpina B6 S Coupe and Cabrio

German tuner and motorsports company Alpina used the Frankfurt Motor Show to take the wraps off its latest marvel, the BMW Alpina B6 S V8 coupe and convertible. Distinguishing the cars from the regular 6-series range is a new vented carbon-bonnet, chin spoiler and a rear bumper with an integrated diffuser. When combined, the new aero parts yield a co-efficient of drag of 0.32Cd.

The standard 4.4L V8 engine also gets an upgrade thanks to its new ‘radial compressor,’ essentially a combination of a turbo and supercharger. The powerplant then undergoes a series of internal improvements, including new camshaft profiles, which improve combustion and lower engine temps. This change is the basis for being able to increase power to 530hp, while simultaneously raising torque to 725Nm.

Engineers also worked closely with transmission specialist ZF and came away with the new Alpina Sport Switch-Tronic gearbox. Shift times were dropped by 50% compared with the regular six-speed auto and, in manual mode, the transition between each gear is hardly felt: reaction time is just 1/10 of a second. The end result is a 0-100km time of 4.5 seconds for the coupe (4.8 seconds for the cabrio) and a top speed of 318km/h.

To improve handling and dynamics, Alpina added a new electronically-controlled damping system co-developed with Sachs Race Engineering. Completing the package is a set of 20in wheels housing huge 374mm brake discs up front and twin-piston Teves floating callipers.