Beautiful beginning story and such a beautiful living being of a car. Her story and life continue and I will literally weep when I finally become a custodian to honor such a dream
@ClassicCarCustodians I need you to get an important message to brandeis4 who bought your 850. Tell him "Racer Rick" is not to be trusted. STAT. Thanks.
It’s been a few years since I had a fun BMW. I have owned quite a few older M cars however, I have been obsessed with the E31s for awhile and may very well be my next BMW.
What a car !!! What an amazing provenance. No one in the world other than Alec Cartio could better represent the amazing story behind this incredible piece of industrial art. This is not just a car, but a family heirloom. The new owner will continue to take great pride in stewardship.
Love the 2 Litre Spider. I have one too that I bought in 1989 (for $12,000) and then restored. March 1960 production according to Alfa archives. I have owned mine for over half my life now, and over half the car's life! There are always little things to do and fix, but she sings on the highway and our Idaho country roads.
I was on a weekend trip with my wife and our E31, 1991 850i with only 31,000 miles on it this weekend. I caught up with a RV and the driver very quickly let me pass. A few kilometers later we stopped by Trollveggen, close to Aandalsnes in Norway, to enjoy the magnificent view. A few minutes later the same RV which I passed further up the valley pulled in. The driver came out and start talking with me, and it turned out this was Per Arne, the owner of this Alpina B12. And I had just watched this RU-vid video a week ago. What a coincidence. He told me he just had to let me pass when he saw us in our 850i pulling up behind him. We had a nice talk about E31s and the cars he had owned. A nice experience on a nice weekend trip to Aalesund, the Atlantic Ocean Road and Kristiansund.
Nice to see my old Phoenix featured in your promo Alec…a few major mistakes in her history but she is unique and very much alive, while she is not 100% Alpina as someone has said that’s basically sour grapes. All Alpina’s are BMW’s with parts added and in every one of them replacement parts from BMW have been added subsequently. She is a wonderful example of the marque which has been resurrected from the grave in all but stamped out BMW chassis number and sided stamped Alpina VIN. She still looks stunning !
Hi Alan. Great to see you here on YT and thanks for commenting. Thank you for being a great caretaker of this beauty. I had to make this film and get her known worldwide. She's amazing to drive
A wonderful presentation! I bought my first Ferrari in 1985 and now aged 77 drive a 1988 Mondial 3.2 QV Coupe which suits me. If I could I’d love a 365 or 330 GTC. I’ve been driven in a 330 GTC round Oulton Park, race circuit in the UK & at speed it handles beautifully. Thank-you, I’ve subscribed!!
100% Alpina #35. Without any doubt in my opinion. Years ago I had the opportunity to buy the interior of #35 when she was crashed from Peter Rice and as things turned out he restored her to what you see here today an amazing example of a very rare car 1 of only 57 in the world. Peter called me back then and told me he was going to restore her and asked if I minded to which I said no not at all if it meant saving #35, so as a gesture of good faith he sent me a set of front European 850CSI seats to Palm Beach Florida USA which are in my car to this day, all in exchange for..... an old issue of the car magazine which featured this beautiful car mated along side a 850CSI. This car is a credit to one mans passion for this car a true labour of love. Cheers Peter you are a true gentleman and always a pleasure to speak with my friend.
I’m so excited to be a small part of the history of this amazing car. For those that watched Alec’s incredible tribute to this car you will know that I was the one that bought the crashed B12 after its accident, saving it from becoming an engine donor for a Cobra replica. Being a serial E31 owner and knowing the rarity and importance of this model I had to save it. I also knew that it was too big a task for me to resurrect so I sold the car to Peter J Rice who was, in my opinion, the best person for the job. Peter owned a collection of some of the finest E31s in the UK, including four 850 CSIs! It would have been easy for him to convert one of his CSIs to B12 spec using this car but he was a perfectionist and knew that he had to find an exact spec, LHD 850CSi just as Alpina had used to convert number 35. He eventually found the car in Germany, the perfect candidate and set about the conversion. Ensuring that EVERY detail was just as the factory would have done. Originality and attention to the smallest detail was everything to Peter and the result was one of the finest E31s I had ever seen. It was like a new car and indistinguishable from a factory B12 5.7, even Alpina were impressed by the quality of the finish. I always regretted having to sell this car but I was lucky enough to find another B12 5.7 about a decade later which I now own. Having seen many of the 57 B12s, I know that some aren’t in original condition, with aftermarket interiors, painted in different colours and some even without the original Alpina engines. This is why I believe this is one of the best examples that will ever be available.
I could not agree more with your comments, Peter was the right man for this job his dedication to details shows in the car in every way, again it is a credit to his passion for the 8 series and he deserves all the credit for an amazing restoration of a truly classic car, #35 lives on because of his dedication to perfection. Cheers Peter for keeping her alive. Romano Palm Beach Florida
To be clear and for clarity, this is not Alpina B12 5.7 number 35 - this is a very nice BMW 850 CSI with Alpina parts added. Alpina number 35 is dead and buried, it's not Easter and resurrection time people, it is not a race car that was re-bodied by the factory with a new factory body. This is and has always been what looks like a lovely used BMW 850 CSi that was found and they added the Alpina parts to it, fantastic, enjoy it for what it is, but lets not confuse it with Alpina B12 5.7 chassis 35, which has long since gone to meet its maker, it is no more, it is in fact monty python's parrot
I met an American service man with an E31 Alpina in black at the BMW festival at Gaydon Warwickshire August 2004. Sadly no longer have the photographs I took at that event.
Alec - thank you for the presentation. As an owner of both an ALPINA B12 5.0 coupe, and ALPINA B12 5.7 coupe over time, I am well versed in ALPINA B12 coupes, and have many friends and acquaintances within the small ALPINA community. This particular car has been well known to me since the accident. One must remember that within ALPINA circles this car is known as a rebodied car. True, it has had all the ALPINA bits transferred to the CSi shell. Unfortunately though, within the official circle, it is and will always be a rebodied car, not a true B12 5.7. The best way to think of it is in the same light as Sytner Alpina cars in England. Sytner would buy BMW's, then transfer ALPINA parts, and then give the car a Sytner Alpina number. But, just as this car, the Sytner cars are not officially recognized by the ALPINA factory as official ALPINAs. Please understand that I am not putting down this automobile. It is beautiful, and the restoration/rebody was done to a top notch level. But, in the eyes of the ALPINA community, and for any future value, unfortunately it is and always will be know as a rebodied car, and as you stated - not recognized as an official ALPINA B12 5.7. I personally know of 2 collectors who have passed on purchasing this car in the past due to that. But, if one recognizes that fact and does not attempt to represent the car as a true B12 5.7, then the car is a fantastic opportunity. Some may not like me saying this, but I believe that being brutally honest within the community is best for all. I personally love the story of this car. Just don't let anyone damage the CF hood - my last check on the price of a replacement when I restored my B12 5.7 was well over 5 figures, and that was over 5 years ago! Again, beautiful car, and best of luck for the next owner.
Thanks Roger. The car is not being presented as a true Alpina. As you hear me saying in the film, I constantly say rebodied Alpina. Also. In the auction on BaT, it says Alpina powered bmw 850csi. Thanks Alec.
The iconic 'wedge' design... beautiful, elegant, smooth, and those subtle bulbous arches...just a design masterpiece from BMW. Gets better as it ages.!.
Same car I have. And it only has 104,735 miles. In the Balero Red. But I did take out the airmatic suspension for lowering coilovers by Hiro Performance. Much better ride now
Well done. I am the owner of a Porsche 981 Cayman S myself but absolutely love the F355. Just yesterday I spotted a F355 Berlinetta stopped at the traffic lights in Dublin, Ireland which is a rare sight indeed. The owner noticed as frantically took out my iPhone to film him moving off from the lights and he let it rip down the road. An absolutely glorious machine! Haven't stopped smiling since. ❤
Finally one of the best BMW classic car ❤ I think they are still living in Iran some of this beautiful 2002 in very good condition, any way thank you for your beautiful presentation of this beauty best wishes from Makedonija 👍🇲🇰
Please look through the Internet, and on RU-vid. You will see the real truth that the 355 is the worst Ferrari ever built. First, you will see at least two dozen minor to massive problems. The main, is the 5 valve that caused a high percentage to blow the engine, and totally burn. Just go to Ferrari 355 cars on fire. One has a Ferrari Tech explaining why you you should never purchase. Ferrari was so careless, they continued on to the 360 with the 5 valve, then they discontinued and went back to the 4 valve for all future cars. There are many videos on RU-vid of 355’s burning up. There are too many faults to list here, so do yourself a favor, and completely check out as I mentioned, and you shall surely see, never buy a 355, or 360. Personally, I will only purchase a BBi back to the Daytona. The newer ones are just an electronic nightmare, and especially after the introduction of the F1 Transmission. My guess is Ferrari and Lamborghini are trying to figure a way to eliminate the F1, and go back to the 6 speed. Some owners have already converted at a major expense, and convert back to the 6 speed. True facts. Just check out on RU-vid and the Internet, and you will see the real truth!!
Last best BMW coupe sports car after legendary M1❤ best wishes for new owner who buy this elegant beauty..and thanks again for your beautiful presentation,all best from Makedonija 👍🇲🇰
