I don't see how they would really be comparable in E46 guise, no LSD, automatic, softly sprung, it's much more cruiser than sports cars.
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From point A to point B I can’t imagine there’d be a huge amount in it. Not everyone needs max attack all the time.
There's very little difference in time between any car getting from point A to point B, but the journey will be extremely different, the M car will be much more connected to the road, better steering feel, firmer, more road noise, far less forgiving gearbox and significantly less comfortable.
I always think of the M cars as a bit of a hooligans fast car and the Alpina as the gentleman's fast car but at the end of the day the Alpina will have a lot more in common with a 330ci than the M3.
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That's my point. Horses for courses.
I drove a tuned 335i SE recently, in a straight line it destroys the M3, it's more comfortable, easier to deploy, a small bit more efficient, it doesn't feel anywhere near as special, but I totally get the appeal of having a sleeper.
I’m going to put my hand up and say I don’t get the Alpina thing either. It actually kind of bothers me that I don’t, but I don’t! I’ve spoken to owners and did a bit of research but they just do nothing for me. It’s probably because I’m more interested in the driving experience rather than rarity and will pretty much sacrifice anything for it. Using a Z4 as a daily and now an M3 with a 2 year old gives you an idea... 😅
On a side note, looking back - the Z4 was an excellent driver’s car by any standard (not perfect ofcourse but really good!) it was just so god damn uncomfortable..!!!
I agree about the Z4. Ours is an absolute hoot, but you hit the nail on the head in explaining why ours has covered only 10k km's in 6.5 years. Each of those was 100% fun, but that car is in no way suitable for the other 210k km's I've covered in the time that I've had it.