If you’ve ever graced these pages before, you’ll know exactly how much we love almost everything that Alpina builds. You’ll also know that the new 455bhp B3 Touring holds a special place in our hearts, because BMW flat-out refuses to give us a proper M3 estate.
But wait – there’s now another option for those who want a bonkers quick Bavarian wagon, courtesy of Swiss tuning company Dähler.
What you see above started life as a 369bhp, four-wheel drive BMW M340i xDrive Touring – or in other words, peak 3 Series whilst we wait for the new M3 saloon. But Dähler decided that was totally inadequate, so now offers two stages of power increases. First up is Level 1, which ups power to 429bhp and torque to 629Nm (from 500Nm as standard). That’s for wimps though – naturally you’ll want the most power available, so Level 2 brings a healthy 468bhp and 679Nm of torque from the 3.0-litre straight-six.
And that’s not all, there’s also that fantastic quad-exit stainless-steel exhaust and either manually adjustable competition coilovers or lowering springs. Plus, there’s a little Swiss flag on the shark fin – cute!
We’re not completely sold on the rest of the looks, though.
That blacked-out grille is pretty mean and the front lip looks good, but the 20-inch forged wheels have nothing on Alpina’s iconic options.
So, what do you reckon, estate fans?
