Modern Classic BMW Z8 Alpina Fetches Big Bucks at Bonhams

Only 555 editions of the BMW Z8 Alpina V8 Roadsters were ever built. Of those, only 111 were available outside the U.S., which helped propel this original U.K.-delivered model’s price up at a recent Bonhams’ auction. The final bid didn’t just account for its limited-production, custom-ordered, hand-built BMW rarity, it was also for this particular Alpina Blue purist-colorway. This blue exterior is only found on 10 other Alpina Z8s in the world.

The U.K. auction house certainly capitalized, reeling in a well-deserved final price of $321,688. Research online shows low-mileage 2003 Alpina V8 Roadsters should sell anywhere from $200K USD upwards of $380K. That could buy a lot of high-performance sports cars today, so why would one seek out and pay over $300K for a 13-year-old Alpina Z8 Roadster?

Well, for starters, Alpina took a different approach retooling the Z8. Alpina added a ZF five-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters (since Z8s were exclusively factory-equipped with six-speed manuals). They also added an athletic track-tuned 5-Series B10 V8 engine, which is specially tweaked for an earlier pull in the RPM range. According to Bonhams: “With a maximum of 375bhp on tap, the Roadster’s slightly smaller engine was retuned for greater torque at lower revs, which better suited the automatic transmission. Top speed was limited to 161mph, with 60mph coming up in 5.0 seconds.”

Sounds exactly how BMW should’ve packaged this tailored-for-touring roadster.

This might be the only Alpina V8 Roadster in the U.K. sold for who knows how many years, especially in this colorway. Bonhams reports it has been under one-owner, and it shows from its impeccable documentation of less than 10K miles since purchase in 2003. So what do you think, did the buyer get a deal?

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

Via [Bonhams]