The Alpina C1 is one of the 3 Series-based cars manufactured and marketed by the German car manufacturer, Alpina. C1 was among Alpina's most famous early models, with top-of-the-line performance compared to its modified model.
History of Alpina C1
Nowadays, the first E30 M3 is a legend of its raw, driver-focused character rather than its performance stats. Despite its actual race car powertrain status, it wasn't the only E30 BMW 3 Series with efficiency as a top priority. However, even inside the BMW community, very few of these sportier E30 variants, such as the "Italian tax special" 325is. German tuner/manufacturer Alpina gave BMWs some additional autobahn and motorsport status before M Division ever developed a road car. The 1991 E45 was the first M5 to go above 300 horsepower. Alpina had already been selling a 300-horsepower 5 Series for about a decade at that time. As with BMW M vehicles, not all Alpina automobiles were one-of-a-kind monsters. Instead, there are M Performance versions of some of these cars. The 1983-1985 E30 Alpina C1 2.3 is no exception. E30-based Alpina C1 2.3/1 was an early 1980s M440i sequel to the E12-based E12 Alpina C1 2.3 model. The E30 BMW M3 was not yet a thing at the time. The B6 Alpina, a much more aggressive E30-based Alpina, was also available. Alpina is just as devoted to performance as M Division, but it accomplishes it with its distinct style. For instance, the modern Alpina XB7 waives some of the X7 M's precision for improved high-speed stability and convenience. Despite this, it accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds. The same may be said for the E30 Alpina C1 2.3. The Alpina C1 2.3 is less efficient than the BMW M3 E30. Its updated 2.3L inline-six engine, dubbed the 'M20', produces 170 hp. The 323i on which the C1 is based produced only 148 horsepower even after a mid-1983 modification. While the C1's 7.8-second 0-62 mph performance isn't impressive today, it was amazing back in 1983. Alpina rarely produces big batches of vehicles every year, but the E30 2.3/1 was an exception. The C1 is one of the rarest Alpina models, with only 35 of the cars ever made. BMW, on the other hand, produced nearly 18,000 E30 M3s. The E30 M3 Sport Evolution has over 17 times the number of C1 2.3/1s. While these E30s are difficult to come by, they're also less expensive than an E30 M3. These days, those cars frequently sell for $100,000 or more. In comparison, an E30 Alpina C1 2.3 costs around half as much.
Price
In 2017, Gooding & Company, a classic car auction website, sold the one example of Alpina C1 for $51,700 ($60,639 in 2022). Based on several classic car auction websites, you can buy rare models of Alpina C1 from $30,000 to $60,000.
Specs
The 1983 Alpina C1 engine delivers 168 hp (125 kW) at 6,000 rpm and 166 lb-ft (225 Nm) at 4,500 rpm of torque. The Alpina C1 accelerates from 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in 6.6 seconds with a top speed of 134 mph (216 kph) and a curb weight of 2,617 lbs (1,187 kg). Alpina offered the Alpina C1 as a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) model with a 5-speed manual transmission powered by a 2.6L inline-six engine.
Release Date
Alpina released the Alpina C1 models from 1980 to 1987.