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
 
Yes looking forward to pictures please, never seen a red Alpina Zed and I couldn’t find anything on car and classic.
There’s a black one (074) coming up on piston heads auction. Not sure if there’s an alpina market watch thread.
 
RMB said:
Yes looking forward to pictures please, never seen a red Alpina Zed and I couldn’t find anything on car and classic.
There’s a black one (074) coming up on piston heads auction. Not sure if there’s an alpina market watch thread.
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Strange - I've posted plenty of pictures of mine....

Alpina Market Watch thread
PerryGunn

Thread 'Alpina Market Watch'

As the ///M cars have a market watch thread, it might be useful to have the same for the Alpinas

It would be useful if we can try to keep to a format to make future reference easier... say using the following as a template and filling in the bits that are known

Build #:
Reg Plate:
Exterior Colour:
Interior Colour:
Spec:
Price:
Mileage:
Location:
URL of advert:

Summary of cars in this thread - I'll try to keep this updated... most recently found are at the top of the list

Columns are Date Spotted, Build #, Spec, Registration, Exterior Colour/Interior Colour), Mileage, Price...

And an Alpina Image Thread
PerryGunn

Post in thread 'Alpina Roadsters - Image Thread'

OK, I'll play :wink:

#320, built in BMW's plant in Spartanburg, SC in March 2005, first UK registration in Sept 2005. Lux model, in Hellrot with black leather. Currently has under 41k on the clock

320atGoodwood_zps1b35e12c.jpg

BMWCCPhoto-small.jpg

CarPark1.jpg

DitchlingBeacon.jpg
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RMB said:
never seen a red Alpina Zed
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I saw Perry's one at Beaulieu in 2018 - can't believe it was that long ago!

And I may have seen one more a couple of years ago driving through a village in Scotland,but I couldn't see enough of it to be sure, just a red front wing and an Alpina wheel. I was on one of B21s trips so if I had stopped I'd have got lost. :LOL:
 
paddy wright said:
Sounds lonely- pics needed
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So to update, I bought number 284! Wow what a car these Roadster S are! Here’s a couple of pics from the drive home, first jobs will be to change black grills back to oe grey, get some new centre caps and either go clear lights all round or back to amber indicator front lights, and I’d like to get the deco kit too.
 

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Very nice. Does it have Xenon’s?

Reason for asking is my son has a 2004 3.0 with yellow indicators and xenons, if those clear indicator lights are compatible, I suspect he may be interested in them if you wish to change
 
Z44Jon said:
Very nice. Does it have Xenon’s?

Reason for asking is my son has a 2004 3.0 with yellow indicators and xenons, if those clear indicator lights are compatible, I suspect he may be interested in them if you wish to change
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No Xenon’s is only option it doesn’t have, that I would have liked, though one less expensive thing to go wrong I guess.
Mr Tidy said:
Congratulations, it looks lovely. :thumbsup:

Although I wouldn't enjoy
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