“Where horsepower meets conversation”
By Tim Harris · December 19, 2025
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There are two Alpina markets happening simultaneously:
The connoisseur collector market
(analog cars with their own VIN and low production)The luxury enthusiast market
(big, torque-rich executive missiles)
We’ll go era by era and rating each by:
Rarity
Authenticity
Driving character
Collector demand trends
Future upside
And yes — we’ll give future value predictions.
🧭 ERA 1 — The Analog Alpinas (1970s–1990s)
These are the Alpinas that cannot be recreated today.
📈 Appreciation: Highly likely
🧡 Emotional Value: Irreplaceable
🔍 VIN Status: Alpina WAP VIN
🏆 Top Appreciation Candidates (The Holy Quartet)
⭐ E21 B6 2.8 / 3.0
Why?
Historically important
First Alpina that felt truly “special”
Connoisseur insider car
Insanely undervalued right now
Future value:
If clean → 2–3× current value over medium horizon
Collectors will chase these when they get priced out of E30 Evo and RS Porsches.
⭐ E30 Alpinas (C2 2.7, B3, B6)
Why?
Alpina’s most culturally iconic era
Analog feel never returning
Rarity > E30 M3
Future value:
Already rising but not done
Best condition examples → strong future collectibles
⭐ E28 Alpinas (B9, B10)
Why?
Natural analog grand touring sedans
Torque + refinement formula perfected early
Undervalued for now
Future value:
Steady climb especially for Euro/Japan provenance cars
⭐ E34 Alpina B10 BiTurbo
The Alpina equivalent of a 964 Turbo S Flatnose:
Legendary
Cult status
Zero substitutes
Future value:
Locked in blue-chip status
These will NEVER be “cheap again.”
🧭 ERA 2 — Transitional Modern Alpinas (2000s–2010s)
These are the cars that:
Received BMW VIN + Alpina identity plates
Were still hand-finished
Drive uniquely
Have connoisseur desirability
🏆 Best Investment Picks Here:
⭐ E39 Alpina B10 V8 S
Why?
More Alpina-feel than E39 M5
Last of the analog V8 sedans with true Alpina personality
The "thinking man’s M5"
Future value:
Absolutely rising
Will shadow E39 M5 values, potentially surpass
⭐ Early B7 (E65/E66)
Why?
The most Alpina-feeling big-body sedan
First B7 with real “Alpina torque magic”
The best used Alpina buy right now
Future value:
Very likely solid appreciation
In 5–10 years these are going to look very cheap in hindsight
⭐ Alpina Roadster V8 (Z8)
This is the millionaire piece.
Already $350–500K
Will absolutely go up
Future value:
$750K to $1M inside 10 years is not irrational
It is already a preservation asset
🧭 ERA 3 — Post-BMW Ownership (2022→)
Uncertain but not “bad.”
These will be:
Great to own
Great to daily
Just unlikely to become cult collectibles
Unless:
They do a final ICE Alpina
That would explode in value for emotional reasons
Watch this space.
🥇 The Big Conclusion
Strongest Appreciation Potential:
E21 Alpina B6 2.8/3.0 (undervalued, highly collectible, analog)
E34 Alpina B10 BiTurbo (blue-chip unicorn)
E39 Alpina B10 V8 S (connoisseur’s sedan)
Alpina Roadster V8 (future trophy piece)
E65/E66 B7 (most undervalued modern)
🧠 Why Classic Alpinas Will Outperform Classic Ms and AMGs
Because Alpina cars:
Were always rare
Were always refined
Were never flamboyant or mass-market
Collectors increasingly choose:
Taste over flash
Rarity over specs
Provenance over hype
Alpina checks every box.
— Tim Harris
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FROM OUR COMMUNITY
🌀 Deferred Cost Compression... an Air-Cooled Porsche Phenomenon
By Tom Brookhart · December 19, 2025
Spend a little time in Porsche forums or listening to a recent Porsche podcast and you’ll hear a familiar complaint: air-cooled 911s cost too much now. People talk about how hard it is to find an honest car, how exhausting the hunt has become, and how ownership feels far more intimidating than it used to.
But the problem isn’t just price.
The real shift in air-cooled Porsche ownership isn’t how much the cars cost — it’s when the costs arrive.
Deferred cost compression occurs when decades of normal ownership expenses — engine work, suspension refreshes, fuel-system sorting, rubber replacement, electrical repairs — are no longer absorbed gradually, but arrive all at once for a new owner.
The costs aren’t new; the timing is. Within the first year or two of ownership (usually sooner than later), age and negligence assert themselves, turning tolerated wear into unavoidable decisions.
Sorted cars have already paid these costs. Neglected cars have not — and the full force lands on the new owner in a compressed window.
— Tom Brookhart
🏁 The Full Throttle Talk Team
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