BMW 545i ALPINA B5 E60 4.4 V8 492 BHP SWITCH TRONIC for £19,995

Highlights:- Exceptional super saloon with M5-bating performance. One of only 428 E60 B5s worldwide. Superbly maintained with FSH. Very high specification retaining full Alpina trim. Excellent condition across exterior and interior. Rare, high rated and very capable 492bhp V8. The Appeal:- The boss of Alpina reputedly loves fine wine. That interest in depth and refinement informs his cars. He believes that a good performance car is not about outright power, but about how that power is delivered. Take the original E60 B5. BMW already had a tarmac-churning saloon in the form of the M5. The B5 is quite different. Instead of a howling V10 it uses the firm’s sinuous, sonorous 4.4litre V8. Fully rebuilt by Alpina and equipped with a supercharger and intercooler it matches the M5 for bhp but comprehensively outclasses it on torque. Then there is how that power reaches the road. Where the M5 is firm, perhaps overly so, the B5 is far more pliant. Just as engaging, just as pointa