The 205-MPH 2020 Alpina B7 Is the Fastest Sedan In the World
The 200-mph club is an exclusive one. Less than 20 cars on sale today are members, and of those, there are only five sedans. Today though, a sixth joins. The Alpina B7 has been updated for 2020, and it boasts a claimed 205-mph top speed, making it the fastest four-door of the bunch. By our reckoning, it’s the fastest sedan there’s ever been.
Alpina says the current-generation B7 was able to do 205 mph before the 2020 model-year update, but in the US at least, it was limited to 192 mph. A BMW USA spokesperson told us the 2020 B7 will be capable of an honest 205 mph here. Humorously, the B7 can be fit with all-season tires, and so equipped, the top speed is limited to 130 mph.
The Alpina B7 is, of course, based on the current-generation BMW 7-Series, which was updated for 2020, mainly with an absolutely enormous pair of kidney grilles. As before, the B7 is powered by a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with 600 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, though the engine has been upgraded with larger turbo impellers and new software. Alpina also upgraded the 7er’s eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive system for the 2020 B7.
The B7 also gets air springs that lower the car 0.6 inches when placed into Sport+ mode, which surely helps reduce drag on the way to 205. All of that helps shave a tenth off the B7’s 0-60 mph time, bringing it down to just 3.5 seconds. BMW’s own V12-powered M760i only manages 3.6 seconds, though it’ll probably be updated in the not-too-distant future.
As you’d expect, the B7 gets all the other upgrades that come to the 7-Series for 2020 including a new digital gauge cluster, and the latest version of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system.
And while it could just be these photos, we think the B7 is the best looking of the new 7er bunch. Alpina’s signature blue paint and multi-spoke wheels generally tend to do good things for BMWs, and that’s true here.
Such speed and luxury don’t come cheap. The 2020 B7 will cost $141,700 when it goes on sale in the third quarter of this year, and that doesn’t include a $1000 destination fee.