1979 BMW E21 3-Series

This 1979 BMW Alpina B6 2.8 was manufactured in June 1979 and is #62 of approximately 533 examples built during a production run from 1978 to early 1983. First delivered in Germany, the car was imported to the US in 2005, was featured on BaT in May 2008, and sold on BaT in September 2018 before being brought to Canada and exported back to Europe in 2022. It is finished in red with silver Alpina graphics and was repainted following the current owner’s acquisition in 2023. Power is supplied by a 2.8-liter inline-six mated to a five-speed manual transmission, and the car is equipped with Alpina 15” alloy wheels, front and rear spoilers, tubular headers, a sunroof, and black cloth Recaro seats. Additional work carried out under current ownership is said to have consisted of dry-ice blasting the underbody, powder coating the wheels, overhauling the brake calipers, installing a stainless-steel exhaust system, servicing the gearbox, and replacing the fuel pump, wheel bearings, and suspension bushings. This B6 is now offered by the seller on behalf of the owner in the Netherlands with Alpina documentation, service records, magazine articles, spare parts, and Dutch registration. The car was finished from the factory in Iberian Red and was repainted in 2023. Replacement silver Alpina graphics were added at that time, and the weather stripping was also replaced, the grilles were refinished, and the quad headlights were refurbished. Equipment includes a manual sunroof, front and rear spoilers, and dual polished exhaust outlets. Alpina 15″ alloy wheels were powder-coated in silver and mounted with 195/50 front and 205/50 Hankook Ventus Prime3 tires in 2023. Bilstein shocks are fitted at each corner. Stopping is handled by power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes with ventilated rotors up front. The brake calipers were reportedly overhauled and the tie rods, wheel bearings, control arms, and various suspension bushings were replaced under current ownership. The cabin houses Recaro front seats trimmed in black cloth accented by offset blue and green stripes, along with a matching rear bench. Additional features include a heater, an Alpina wooden shift knob, and vented quarter windows. The four-spoke MOMO steering wheel features an Alpina hub and sits ahead of a VDO instrument cluster that includes a 260-km/h speedometer, an 8k-rpm tachometer, and gauges monitoring fuel level and coolant temperature. A trio of auxiliary readouts is mounted in the center stack. The six-digit odometer shows 120k kilometers (~74k miles), a handful of which were added under current ownership. An Alpina plaque on the dashboard identifies the car as #062. The 2.8-liter inline-six was modified by Alpina with lightweight Mahle pistons, revised combustion chambers, and Zenith-Pierburg-DL fuel injection. Output was rated at 200 horsepower and 183 lb-ft of torque. The engine was rebuilt in 2005, while more recent work in 2023 included changing the oil, replacing the accessory belts, and painting the air filter housing and brake booster. Compression test results are viewable in the gallery below, along with images of parts installed in 2023. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a Getrag five-speed manual transmission that was reportedly refreshed under current ownership. A replacement stainless-steel dual exhaust system and headers were also installed, and the underbody was cleaned with dry ice. Alpina documentation, service records, and magazine articles are included in the sale.