Customers in Britain who are jonesing for a new BMW M5 can temporarily satisfy themselves with the Alpina B5 until the next M5 becomes available! Following its debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed, the car is now available to order in the United Kingdom in limited numbers, with the first deliveries start later this year. While the B5 is not as good as the next M5 will be,  it’s just enough to keep you busy for a couple of months.

Aplina B5 is powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine whic churns out 507 hp and 700 Nm of torque. That results in 0-62 in only 4.7 seconds and 191 mph top speed. These are roughly the same numbers as the current BMW M5 E60 with its massive V10 engine. The B5 however is more efficient and has combined fuel consumption 26.2 mpg and CO2 emissions are 252 g/km.

It also looks classic and elegant, with the usual Alpina styling cues which gives it a special character. It might not be as fast as the M5, but it certainly has more class.

John Quigley, Managing Director of ALPINA GB, describing the new ALPINA B5 as an unbeatable combination of luxury, exclusivity and performance says : “With the next generation BMW M5 yet to be announced, the B5 fills a significant market gap”. “The fact that Goodwood was chosen for the world debut of the car demonstrates the importance ALPINA attach to the UK market”.