Alpina Roadster S, Japan Red, potential purchase.

C

Commando_Rob

Member
 London
Hi all, I’ve put a deposit down on an Alpina Roadster S!

I must have lost my mind! Well the misses certainly think’s I have! As you may recall I’ve just bought a Z4 3.0si! However as they say like buses they always come all at once!

I’ve always wanted an Alpina Roadster S more than any other Z4 and especially in Japan red! ever since I saw one at the Z4 Ace Cafe meet a few years back reg was VU55 EBA

Well a Japan red one popped up online a week ago and a few phone calls and lots of emails later & Ive agreed a price and put a deposit down and am going to view/buy this week!

It’s number 284 has just over 100k miles, has been with last owner for nearly 10 years always garaged and sounds like it’s been well looked after regardless of miles, it’s non Lux which is actually my preference as want a clean dash and from research was a Sytner demo car and only 1 of 3, so feel I may not get a chance to buy one like it again!

I can see it on Alpina market watch, but no previous owners seem to have claimed it on here, does anyone know this Alpina and can give me any info on it, also there is no record in history file of head gasket change which I know is a weakness, should I be alarmed by this, how much should I budget for to get this done.

Any advice much appreciated
 
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There were 12 RHD RS' in Hellrot (which translates as Bright Red but they called it Japan Red in the UK), all had black leather - 7 were Lux, 3 were non-Lux and the spec of the other 2 is unconfirmed

Don't lose sleep worrying about the HG, there's a possibility that it may fail but a number of cars have done well over 100k without problems. If it does go at some point, the failure mode isn't catastrophic as it blows through at the thin point between cylinders.
 
I went to look for pictures of an Alpina Roadster S and stumbled onto what appears to be the actual car on Car & Classic? Looks very nice, enjoy.
 
PerryGunn said:
There were 12 RHD RS' in Hellrot (which translates as Bright Red but they called it Japan Red in the UK), all had black leather - 7 were Lux, 3 were non-Lux and the spec of the other 2 is unconfirmed

Don't lose sleep worrying about the HG, there's a possibility that it may fail but a number of cars have done well over 100k without problems. If it does go at some point, the failure mode isn't catastrophic as it blows through at the thin point between cylinders.
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Thanks for the info, and good to know re the HG, can you recommend a specialist to do this as would probably plan on doing soon as preventative maint, is there anything else I should be checking specific to the Roadster S.
 
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The place that's normally recommended is CPC Performance Engineering as Phil Crouch, the owner, is well thought of in the classic Alpina community (although he does have a reputation for being hard to get hold of)

I wouldn't do the HG as 'preventative maintenance' as it may never blow at all - overheating is the biggest risk factor for the HG so ensure the cooling system is OK. The initial signs of a failing HG are a rough cold start that doesn’t settle (as opposed to the normal bag of spanners sound that settles to a smooth idle), slight misfiring, and uneven compression. If you’re ever worried that it's going just do a compression/leak‑down test as it'll show up that way.

Otherwise for the engine, expect the normal BMW I6 jobs e.g. coils & sensors and Alpina have issued a VANOS kit with hardened washers but that can be installed when the VANOS gets serviced. (and at least there's no valve clearance checks or rod bearing worries a la S54 engines)

Other than that, it's the normal E85 stuff but beware that some parts e.g. front springs/dampers are different to those used in other E85s due to the weight of the engine
 
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