Alpina D3 Biturbo - long term review

As Alpina becomes engulfed by BMW, we're throwing it back to 2009 and remembering six months with a modded diesel saloon. This article was originally published in Top Gear Magazine, May 2009

1. Took the Alpina in convoy with Owen for the annual office pilgrimage to Le Mans. It was a tight squeeze for the three of us and all the gear.

2. Only two fuel stops on the whole trip. At a fast cruise, the little diesel averaged over 40mpg, probably a bit better than this DB5 managed.

3. Cars need to get you places, and the Biturbo got us right here. It gets a lot of looks and people who know cars give it muchos respect.

4. White is not my favorite colour, as every single speck of dirt shows up. Yes, it gets the looks, but it’s a bit ‘steal me’ in my opinion. I’d have black.

5. Four very tired and smelly people with a lot of camping equipment. Car coped with it all and managed to prove relaxing with it.

6. Found Gulf Racing-spec Metro at rest stop. No chance of a swap with the Alpina, which ran fast and faultlessly all weekend... at 42.1mpg.