This video took everything I thought I knew about tuners and turned it on its head.
See, until now, I was of the understanding that modifiers make cars more powerful and (more often than not) ruin the appearance of the vehicles upon which they lay their hands.
ALPINA proved me wrong. They “souped-up” the BMW Z8 by swapping its 4.9-liter, 394-horsepower V8 for a 4.8-liter, 375-horsepower unit. WTF? Oh, they replaced the six-speed manual with a 5-speed auto, too.
Fortunately, Alpina left the Z8’s curvaceous good looks in tact. They even fitted more attractive 20-inch, 20-spoke wheels, but they didn’t slap on a garish, visually jarring body kit. I like the blue-and-creme interior color scheme, but I feel, given that combination, the blue gauges are a little much.
But Top Gear isn’t my show. Jeremy Clarkson’s opinion is what matters in this case. He loathed the tweaked roadster’s new powertrain, and he wasn’t fond of the exhaust note … or the handling … or the ride.
Who wouldn’t like the Alpina Z8’s numbers on the track, though? In the hands of the black Stig, the roadster ended up setting a time as fast as that of the original Lamborghini Murcielago.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
