Interesting ALPINA Steering wheel

[markmac]

Here you go..... 'Bayerischer Bastard'  short article 520 Alpina.

[mccusername]

23 hours ago, markmac said:

Here you go..... 'Bayerischer Bastard'  short article 520 Alpina

 

That's what my Golf 520i wants to be when it grows up.

[markmac]

Doesn't seem like too tough a pull to assemble the parts they used in that build.  You could for less money make it into the GS variant 520.....GS used this cool 'blue' color on their valve covers and air cleaners (it had a hammered finish).  Not many color pics you will ever see of their gear.

[markmac]

Seems like the engine pic with the article belonged to a different car (given the engine bay is silver and the pic of the car is gold/yellow).  This is another pic of the A4 motor that belongs to that yellow/gold 520.  This is a really early A4 motor with out the bridge manifold with CS injector.   They had a pretty clever solution = fabricate a 'fuel rail' and plumb in the CS injector, add fittings to the underside of the rail and then into each of the ports of the manifold and connect with fuel hose.  Injector pulls fuel into the rail, drops right down the connections into the ports.....baddabing baddaboom.

[mccusername]

Thanks for the great pics as usual, Mark. I have the Bayerischer Bastard article but have never seen a picture of the GS engine bay in color. I've definitely noticed their super butch air cleaner before but never knew it was in blue.

 

As for building a 520i/A4 tribute, I have a 'spare' A4 system that I'd like to put on my 520i one day-- though it's not a super early one like the one in the picture. I've never seen that version in real life. I'm also curious about the air box in that picture. It's clearly a modified version of the stock piece. Not sure if the stock part is metal or plastic. The stock airbox for the carbed version has two outlets, maybe they just Frankensteined a couple of those together.

 

The really rare bits would be the super early Alpina 14" 'Five-hole' alloys-- they were also on E9 CSLs. And the early Alpina front spoiler, very unlike what came on later E12s and E28s.

 

 

 

 

 

[markmac]

That article was 6/73.  Similar looking backdrop from some of the early photo's of my Alpina race car at the Geneva Motor Show in 1974, definitely some sort of show given the platform, curtains etc.,  Here is a pic of another 520i with Alpina injection, I want to say this was from a tuner 'Reppecus' (spelling?).  Somewhat similar air box arrangement.  Those early A4 manifolds are pretty rare, I don't know that I have ever seen a set of them offered for sale second hand (with or without the throttle bodies).

[inca-orange]

This is the original ALPINA race setup for butterfly. 48 mm with VIPL pump. Raced with 324° cam.

 

Best regards

[markmac]

Interesting the 'race' pump has a warm up regulator on it.  You usually don't see that on race engines using Kugelfischer/Bosch race pumps.  Hmmmmmmnn.

[inca-orange]

It comes from an ALPINA rallye engine.

[bob02]

I like the way GS stacked those filters on the front end of the air cleaner. I may have to try that trick! Two surely must be better than one! 
 

Bob

[markmac]

Back to steering wheels......this was the one originally used in my car back in 1974.  I have a had a couple of opportunities to buy one, passed them up - sellers were I thought a little 'piggy' on their price point(s)....and at the end of the day I had/have mor critical work to do than to spend ($2k + for a friggin steering wheel).  Four spoke design with peforations in the spokes.  They used this wheel typically in the 3.0's.

[JohnP_02]

17 hours ago, markmac said:

Four spoke design with perforations in the spokes

Mark, its such a bummer your car didn't have this wheel when you got it. In my quest to collect all the early Alpina steering wheels of which I believe I have acquired most, this one has eluded me. It is a bit of a mystery steering wheel, but it has shown up on some very interesting cars such as yours. The dished 4-spoke design was designed more for its better strength and stability (vs looks hehe) vs the thin, flat, large diameter Momo wheels of the day. You almost never see dished wheel with any of the bends or stress marks that are unfortunately quite common with the flat wheels. I believe this is why Momo has continued to sell the OP's version of the very similar 4-spoke Momo Alpina wheel for almost 50 years nos. Its just a great design, very robust and nice period looking wheel albeit not as beautiful and desirable as the 3 spoke flat wheels of the period. Not that your car needs it, but I hope you find one at some point!

Edited March 13, 2023 by JohnP_02