Wife and kids all out. Sat on the bench in the evening sun with a glass of Brazin Zinfandel….and spotted these 2 on the drive ….so two rear ends particular fond of at the moment … bangle design never sat right with me to start with. Thought the chap devisive with the Bmw design ethos that we all became used too but the e61 got me eventually. Then after time some of the others just seemed to flow to now make sense z4 coupe - e63 ..Maybe familiar views make the design less eventful? Flame surfacing aside the Alpina version just made it that little bit better with the deko kit and rear wheel dish ( yep rear wheel dish. Where are you ??) which makes the difference from mundane to purposeful. The 996 Turbo speaks volumes of how the most unloved 911 has recently come into the P car fold with the respect it finally deserves. At low down height it looks so ruddy wide, but probably no wider than a 2021 hot hatch. What it offers is the 3k rpm turbo kick. It is quite hilarious. Comes in, not harsh but builds to a momentous push that is truly a petrolhead piece of nirvana, yes you can EV this, but you cant EV the noise and smell, that goes along away for aural stimulation missing from all our futures.
Now the Alpina B5 is a different feeling. Unfair to describe as slow on uptake but certainly takes a smidge longer to get moving with purpose, i dont think its engine, but gearbox related which with only 6 cogs takes longer to get the mass going, but end of second to change up to third then we see why the H1 is the design masterpiece of thrust. Its genius in its feeling. Real linear thrust with no break in the increase in momentum. You can hear the supercharger, not the madmax or whipple whine but the mechanical noise is addictive and an awakening to new passengers, who still wonder why I drive a 2005 estate car on a daily basis. Simple. Wonderful comfort seats. Wonderful acceleration so i can avoid sitting behind slow(er) moving traffic. Fuel consumption I can live with. The sound of a mini Vulcan bomber at full aceleration ! And Alpina exclusivity. Love them both but if I had to choose …
Just saying
