Alpina has long been renowned for making high quality, well-trimmed automobiles with a focus on tuning up the engine, suspension and adding bespoke interior materials. Interestingly, while the base car is clearly a BMW – under German regulation Alpina is viewed as a standalone manufacturer as their overhaul of a BMW modifies significant elements of the original car – a determining factor under TUV regulations. With that said, Alpina has always been the yin to BMW M’s yang. Where the M3 is a more hardcore driving experience Alpina has always put a focus on a more balanced, dare I say comfortable driving experience. Unfortunately for Americans the only Alpinas that have crossed their way over are typically either the gray market used cars or ultra expensive new ones via the latest Alpina B7 based on the F01 7 Series chassis or the V8 Roadster based around the Z8 chassis but with the powertrain of the lovely BMW X5 4.8is

With that said, they did make some very compelling cars as they established themselves as purveyors of performance cars ala the B7 S and B10 3.5. The guys at Petrolicious did a great job capturing what’s so great about both old school Alpinas and car culture in general. This is my reminder to go back and scour the interwebs for what few 1980′s era Alpinas I might find for sale here in the good ol’ US of A.

Reblogged from . . .:

I stand by my original point, though – the rear deck of the 991 Cup Car looks terrible.

Source: Cult of Porsche(Ferdinand Magazine)

I guess you could say he’s going – *ahem* Flat Out.

I’ll respectfully disagree – it’s gotten fatter and longer. For whatever, reason(perhaps my negative experience with the local dealership and Porsche NA while I had the Cayman has clouded my vision) I cannot warm up to the Type-991 911. I very much enjoy(ed) the look and proportions of the 997 911′s as they made for gorgeous, timeless road cars and angry, musclebound wide-body race cars by way of the GT3 RSR run by the Lizard and Falken teams in ALMS. Even the 997 Cup Car seemed to capture my interest the first time I saw the Black Swan Cup Car go skittering across the concrete slabs of Sebring in turn 17 during pre-season testing a few years ago, disappearing off through 17A followed by the low, flat wail of a Porsche horizontally-opposed six.

But the 991 Cup Car doesn’t seem to grab me the way its predecessor did. It just looks heavy with a seemingly tacked-on rear end. Maybe the 991 carries Porsche’s equivalent of a Stuttgart “Bangle Butt.” Whatever I may think of the styling – I don’t doubt it’ll be a winner. I’m sure Porsche’s customer Cup Car business has been anything if lucrative for them both financially and in reputation and certainly won’t be conceded to other manufacturers anytime soon. But with a history of beautiful race cars in the 917k, 935, 908, and 961 – I just yearn for more from Porsche’s racing aesthetic. Perhaps throw some Gulf, Rothsmans, or Martini colors on there and I’ll be a bit happier? Either way, I’ll be interested to see how these little guys perform on the track – hopefully they’ll start showing up for ALMS this year.

Porsche 991 Cup Car Teaser:

Interestingly, many of the secondhand GT3 Mark II’s from 2009 to 2011 have stabilized at near their original list price or a few grand above the magical $100,000 mark. Some believe, and I happen to agree, that the prices of the 997 GT3 will remain fairly level given its reputation and the widely held thought that the next generation GT3 will be strictly of the flappy paddle persuasion. A clear strike against a car considered to be geared solely toward enthusiasts.

So while grey market prices for the 997 GT3 Mk. II are leveling off at near-new prices – there is another potent Porsche to be had for a fraction of the new price: The 996 GT3 Mk II – predecessor to the 997 platform and what could be a great used car deal for enthusiasts at less than half the price of a 997.

I’ll assert that the Mark II 996 GT3 was the best of the 996 generation. It’s narrow body and subtle(I’ll excuse the wing compared to the GT2!) body kit make it aesthetically simple yet elegant over all-wheel-drive Turbo or occasionally deadly GT2. The naturally aspirated engine, simple set up compared to its brethren and straightforward nature really seem to capture more of the early 911 spirit. What’s better is that less than a decade removed from its original sales price in the $108,000 range, you can pick up 996 GT3′s for 40% to 55% discounts over the original sticker price. That translates to 87% of the power output of the latest GT3 for nearly half the price and relatively low mileage (est. average of 5,000 to 6,000 miles per year). A quick comb through Autotrader revealed ’04 and ’05 GT3′s ranging from $48,000 to $65,000 for spiciest non-turbocharged 996.

If you can get beyond the low-rent interior and the occasionally off-putting amoeba headlamps, the 996 GT3 could be a steal considering it and the GT3 RS of the same breed were able to return sub 8 minute lap times of zee Nordschliefe – assuming that is still a relevant benchmark given the abundance of cars developed there as of late. This pricing point does provide stiff competition in the way of used E90 M3′s, Lotus Evora’s and even Porsche’s Cayman S but the GT3 still provides a very pure driving experience with top tier performance from just a few years ago.

If I can’t sell you on it – perhaps this original promotional video from Porsche can convince you – and prove that Speed Yellow is the color for the 996 GT3.

(Photo credit: B-Artworks photostream)

In the end, after four months of ownership – the experience as a Porsche owner wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be with a handful of niggling issues like the head liner collapsing, a door handle breaking and the unexpected but apparently common white smoke dumps from oil settled in the cylinders – I just came away from the car more annoyed and inconvenienced than happy. One road trip to see family with the wife and luggage proved to be particularly unenjoyable when we had to transport a few gifts back, unexpectedly, in an already cramped two door, mid-engined car. We needed more room/space/capacity whatever you want to call it, a 6’4 person using a two door sports car as their primary car was not working. Sometimes when you feel things aren’t quite working the way they should – cut your losses and move on. No thanks to a poor experience with Porsche of North America’s customer service losing my title in the mail, the car was sold in a month’s time to a guy who plans to take advantage of the impressive local PCA chapter and really enjoy the Cayman which was reassuring that it went to a fellow enthusiast.

But move on I did. After nearly leaving at 4AM to drive to Miami to pick up a low mileage, one-owner E46 M3 the more fiscally responsible side of me kicked in and I worked a better deal on another car locally. With the savings to be had plus a few other perks, it made the decision to send the Cayman packing even easier.

The replacement? A BMW, of course and I haven’t looked back since. The car in question is a 2007 E91 328i Touring – aka the wagon. While wagons are only coveted by enthusiasts, this one has a few goodies to help it stand out from the rest of the crowd. The car came upgraded from my buddy whom I bought it from with the following:

- BMW Performance Aluminum Struct Brace

- BMW Performance Exhaust

- OEM E90 330i air intake – an enlarged, higher volume intake not equipped on any US-spec cars but came on the direct injection N52 330i

- OZ Alleggerita 18 x 8.5 up front with 18 x 9.5 in the rear – wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sports and pumped full of nitrogen

- Active Autowerke’s Stage 1 N52 ECU reflash

Thus far, the car has proved to be faster than any other wagons I’ve encountered, returns 30 mpg on my commute and keeps a low enough profile aside from a deeper, throatier rumble of the uprated exhaust. There’s a game plan in place to carry out additional modifications – primarily with OEM parts to keep the overall feel and aesthetic of the car consistent. Stay tuned as I hope to have better photos up soon plus a more involved write-up!

Helen of Troy may have launched 1,000 ships but Butzi Porsche launched 100,000 sports cars with his update of the original rear-engined Porsche – the 356. The first 911 was unveiled at the 1963 Frankfurt auto show – defying physics by hanging the engine out over the rear axle. What seemed like a quick lesson in vehicle dynamics would ultimately go on to be a permanent fixture both in Porsche’s model line-up as well as innumerable racing series’ worldwide for the next 49 years. Yes, the setup of the chassis and weight distribution didn’t make much sense but the results speak for themselves from the 7 generations of 911′s produced, countless races wons and fight-to-the-bitter-end diehard following of 911 fanatics.

All of this made possible by Butzi’s singular design, said to be initially sketched out as early as 1959 before the curtain went up on the production model four years later.

While the 911 would become the lifeblood of Porsche for decades to come, Butzi’s purest design came in the form of the 1964 Porsche 904 GTS. A mid-engined coupe powered by a ubiquitous flat four banger before the 904/6 and 906/8 were introduced – precursors to the successful Porche 906 race car. The 904 was thought to be Butzi’s favorite design as there was little time for external forces to influence the overall design. In my own selfish way I like to think of the Cayman being a successor to the  highly regarded yet often-forgotten 904 GTS.

After moving from the Porsche car design, F.A. Porsche retooled his design skills by founding the Porsche Design brand with a focus on watches, sunglasses, and other luxury accoutrements. The focal point of the designs being both functionality and aesthetic – a tradition that still carries forth in the Porsche Design brand.

Without realizing it, when Butzi Porsche set out to design the 911 he would inadvertently link his name to an icon that reestablished what a sports car could be. His mark on the automotive industry, while indelable, will more importantly continue to live on in the garages and racetracks of enthusiasts across the globe.

Source: John Glynn Porsche/ Ferdinand: The Cult of Porsche 

The Friday before the Amelia Concours I was nearly sprinting, blazer and DSLR, in hand trying to make it to the lobby in time for the BMW 640i driving event with BMW. On the way in I gave littlermore than a passing glance to the fleet of Ferrari 250 GTO’s lined up in front of the Ritz-Carlton, a dumb move on my part, before realizing I had plenty of time to watch the GTO’s depart. A few hours later, I, along with a number of other cars, pulled over and rolled the windows down as the Ferrari’s crawled off of the St John’s River Ferry. It was quite a view to see $300+ million rolling off of the smallish ferry but there it was and almost as quickly as I stumbled upon the GTO’s they disappeared over a crest on 1st Coast Highway under a wave of thumping, early 60′s V12′s – truly a sound of rolling thunder across the surrounding marshlands.

Justin Lapriore of LetsMakeMedia did a great job capturing the awe felt of being up close with these cars. Even more rare, he managed to catch these on the move around Amelia Island and Northeastern Jacksonville – a true oddity for the Northside of Jax!

On the Saturday in question, I was up earlier than usual and by 7:45AM I’d shot across Jacksonville over to the double-secret hidden warehouse of cars. I managed to pull in right as the door to the warehouse parted, revealing both cars that my buddy and I would be driving to the car show: a red Maserati Ghibli Spider and a yellow 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC. Both freshly detailed and fueled, the Maserati even freshly restored. Things were definitely looking up over a usual Saturday.

The only downside was the gray, gloomy ceiling of clouds hanging low in the sky and blotting out the morning sun – also giving a slight chill to the air – not very convertible-friendly weather but that wasn’t going to stop me from enjoying the 4.7L V8. After a quick on-the-go tech session with the choke on the Maserati and the fuel pump switch and throttle-pumping in the Ferrari we were off and heading due North to Amelia Island along 1st Coast Highway – a scenic road that on one side gives sweeping view of the Atlantic and on the other a patched view of marshlands and inlets.

At cruising speeds, the Maserati was surprisingly easy to drive. As a early Italian exotic with power steering the heft was taken out of the wheel at higher speeds – nearly to a fault. At around 70MPH the wood-rimmed steering wheel had a surprising amount of play in it, making you second guess the idea that the car will go where you need it to if an evasive steering maneuver were required. Did I mention the massive brake diving and brake steering when applying mild pressure to the middle pedal to scrub speed? It’s a good distraction from the sound of what must be the cowling about to tear off the hinges of the car at speeds above 50MPH from buffeting winds.

Snaking up the coast between the dunes and reeds and behind the bright yellow Maranello coupe, I realized that despite its flaws, the Maserati was still quite fun to drive, lifting off the throttle rewarded with a throaty burble for an overrun, downshifts when passing gave a surprising amount of thrust – perhaps not all of the original 330 Italian ponies have galloped away over the last 41 years. By the time I’d started to get comfortable with the Spider, of course we’d reached our destination: the Omni Plantation. Pulling out onto one of the greens, the significance of the Ghibli Spider hadn’t struck me until one of the volunteers helping arrange the exotics said “Oh wow, a Ghibli Spider! Thanks for bringing this, I was really hoping to see one today!”

Walking the green, there was quite a turn out of the Italian persuasion. From a 599 GTB HGTE to the forefather 365 GTB “Daytona,” a 365BBi to a 400i, 430 Scuderia to 328 GTS, nearly 60 years of Ferrari models were represented in various forms and fashions – definitely favoring shades of red, though! Across the green sat a lone bright yellow Fiat 695 Abarth SS in stark contrast of the deep green course and dark gray sky – rear engine hatch expectedly agape exposing the little engine to the world. The Maserati section was, surprisingly, represented by  a single Ghibli Spider. The very same I’d driven in and parked earlier. As a result and surprise to no one, the Ghibli was wearing a large blue ribbon for “Best Maserati in Show” tucked under the windshield wipers.

Sliding back into the very reclined, cushy black leather seat I threw the ribbon up on the rear view mirror, managed to nail the choke just right and motored off the golf course-cum-showroom again trailing the yellow Ferrari 330 GTC. After a quick pit stop(only one of the fuel pumps on the dual fuel tanks of the Ghibli was working!) we found ourselves back on 1st Coast Highway with a handful of open expanses of asphalt on which to stretch the proverbial legs of these two classics. When gaps in the sparse traffic presented themselves, the snort of the Ferrari’s V12 would wail back at me with a compliment of black smoke out of the tail pipes hinting that I’d better down shift as well and get ready to move. This point in the day was where my understanding of the Maserati finally reached critical mass. Looking out over the long, sweeping nose from behind a thin, wooden wheel I found that the controls were all right where I needed them to be. For a car that outdated me by more than decade, the Maserati was surprisingly ergonomic. The tach, speedo, and fuel gauges all easily readable, the oil temperature, clock and amp meter all clear – despite the Italian text – and best of all the gear lever sat unusually high on the console making it quick work to move from the steering wheel to shifter to execute gear changes. After being able to finally relax a bit behind the wheel, I was again struck with the ease at which I could control a classic sports car – this Maser was built to cruise the Autostrada and I have no doubt it can deliver.

Dropping off the Ghibli Spider, I could understand why its owner loved it so much. It gorgeous, red Giugiaro-designed exterior with long-sloping nose leading up to the compact cabin the design feels very timeless and is still quite the head turner. Shame that only 125 were ever made – certainly a disservice done to the automotive community.