ALPINA B4 S

摘要

The true colours of Alpina's twin-turbo six-cylinder coupe have come to the fore in this 7900-mile test of everyday life. That has to be the perfect long-termer." If I'd made a euro every time somebody told me something to that effect during the past few months, I still wouldn't be able to afford one of the Amazakoue-wood, 1968-spec reissued gearknobs from Alpina's online shop. But I'd be extremely close. It costs 138 euros, not least because the wood for each knob is sourced from West Africa, dried out for weeks, then laboriously finished and painted before Alpina's carburettor-crankshaft crest is fixed in place. As a metaphor for the detailed approach the tiny German manufacturer makes when building fast cars, it takes some beating.