Ultimate Beemer bomber

We already have a BMW M3, M5 and M6… But no M7. Well, here’s the next best thing: a supercharged limo fettled by BMW’s tuning partner Alpina -- dubbed the B7. It’s said to cut the 0-100km/h dash in under 5sec and tackle corners with the same urgency.

Perhaps sir won’t be requiring the chauffeur any longer…

The musclebound -- yet restrained looking -- executive express makes its debut at this weeks Geneva motor show and goes on sale in selected markets (not Australia, unfortunately) later this year.

Starting with a BMW 740i as a basis, the Alpina crew sets to work on the 4.4-litre V8. All the internals are given extra heat treatments for added durability at BMW’s Steyr, Austria, plant, before the engine (mit supercharger) is assembled at Alpina’s headquarters in Buchloe, Germany. The engine is then sent to the 7 Series plant in Dingolfing.

The raw numbers are impressive: 363kW between 5250 and the 6000rpm redline put the B7 in the same ballpark as the V10-powered M5 and M6, but its peak torque figure of 699Nm dwarfs the V10’s 520Nm. And its torque curve is way flatter.

The manufacturer claims a 0-100km/h time of 4.8sec, and this seems feasible, even in a car weighing two tonnes.

Further Alpina upgrades include an aero body kit, modified suspension -- comprising Sachs shocks and Eibach springs -- with active roll stabilisation system and 21-inch wheels. Stopping power comes via dinner plate-sized discs and floating calipers sourced from the 760Li

For those who are unfamiliar with Alpina, it’s a highly respected German tuning house that’s been fettling Bimmers for the past four decades. It was established in 1964 as an official and approved ‘ennobler’ of BMWs.