Alpina B5 History
Alpina's 5 Series flagship — three generations (E60, F10, G30) of turbocharged V8 sport sedans and Tourings that blended autobahn pace with long-distance comfort.
Photo: “2005 Alpina B5” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
Launched at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show based on the BMW E60 5 Series, the B5 was Alpina's first 5 Series-based model in decades and a landmark in combining genuine supercar performance with executive-car refinement. Fewer than 1,000 units were built across sedan (E60) and Touring (E61) body styles in the first generation.
The F10-based second generation (2011–2016) and the G30-based third generation (2017–2024) continued the V8 bi-turbo recipe, each delivering well over 600 PS in top specification. The third generation's B5 GT swan-song was capped at 250 units worldwide. Production ended in 2024 as Alpina transitioned its range under the BMW Alpina banner.
Generations
First generation (E60/E61) · E60 B5
Photo: “2005 Alpina B5” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Launched at 2005 Geneva; supercharged V8, fewer than 1,000 units; sedan and Touring.
2005 Photo: “2005 Alpina B5” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2006 Photo: “2006 BMW Alpina B5” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Second generation (F10/F11) · F10 B5
Photo: “Alpina B5 (F10) Facelift IMG 5864” by Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Twin-turbo V8; approximately 1,700 units across sedan and Touring.
Third generation (G30/G31) · G30 B5
Photo: “Alpina B5 (G30) Facelift DSC 8465” by Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Most powerful generation; ended with the 250-unit B5 GT limited edition.
2023 Photo: “2023 Alpina B5 GT FOS25” by MrWalkr / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2024 Photo: “2024 Alpina B5 GT” by MrWalkr / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Touring (wagon)
Notable special editions & performance variants
B5 GT
A 250-unit worldwide farewell edition of the G30 B5, marking the end of the nameplate.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Alpina B5
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