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Advice on ID'ing an Alpina tii?


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Hi All,

My name is Ed and this is my first time posting on the board - I am actually selling (boohoohoo) my White '74 Alpina 2002tii because my wife and I are expecting #2 in September, and no matter how hard I pleaded, my wife just didn't want to see if the car seat would fit in the back...

I guess I'll never realize my dream of a barn full of nice old cars...

To my point: I bought my car about 6 years ago after hunting for the best old car that would give me performance, reliability and looks for the $$$. I found and fell in love immediately with my baby at a consignment shop, and didn't really care if I overpaid (~$10k) for it. I am sure the guy that stuck it in the consignment shop bumped up the price because of the metal 'Alpina' tail emblem - but I didn't care then.

Now that I am selling it - I don't want to jam some poor fool like myself by claiming this is an 'Alpina' when it really may not be.

I am wondering if anyone with experience on this board can help me get a conclusive answer on ID'ing my car as an Alpina or not - or can tell me where to look.

What I have read on the web has been inconclusive - as the previous owner did some nice modifications, and my car does not have:

1. an alpina steering wheel

2. the alpina rims

3. flared fenders

I haven't taken the head off, ripped out the crank and checked out the cams or weighed the pistons - so I am really not quite sure what I can do to see if this is just a plain tii or an 'alpina' tii.

As a secondary question - I saw that a company in Tennessee makes fiberglass flared fenders for racing, and as my racing tires rub a little - I was considering picking them up - Has anyone had experience?

Thanks in advance - I appreciate any information you can throw my way.

Best Regards,

Ed Travalia

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Ed,

Do you have some pictures of the car? Under the hood, the outside, the rims, the interior, the rear dif cover, etc.

Max Hoffman had Alpina modify 3 Tii's for the US back in the day when he was importing them. Dubois has one of them. Aside from the lack of the A4 butterfly fuel injection system on those 3 cars, Dubois' Tii is a real deal true blue (silver) Alpina.

I am not sure what the VINs were of those 3 cars, but someone here might know. You could also send the VIN to Mobile Tradition and they could tell you the build date of your car, what dealer got your 2002 was 1st sent to, and the original color.

Hope that helps.

Ryan

1969 BMW 2002

1972 BMW 3.0 CS

2003 BMW Z4 3.0i

2007 Jeep Wranger X with all the trimmings

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cars from 1976-77 2002/1502 had them no numbers just a simple dash plaque and a model (A0/A1/A2/A2s/A3/A4) that it was built/converted by alpina. build sheets and reciepts from alpina would be the thing you have to look for as alpina never kept records of early converted cars.

they had the A4 system with the individual throttles/4 butterflies and all the A4 conversions had other work done to the engine, exhaust, brakes, suspension, transmission, diff, wheels, body kits (airdam, wheel arch flares, trunklid spoiler), seats, gauges, badges, some had the stripe kit some did not have them especially if the owner wanted a sleeper car look.

alpina also had a single throttle plate conversion like the stock tii but they changed the cam inside the injection pump and added a 300 degree camshaft to the engine, reworked the cylinder head. this i read from a late '76 rallye racing german magazine. some A0/A1 were sold to '02 owners as a d-i-y kit but if you had reciepts that would be good.

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You really don't need to ID it, if it is a great car it will drive and feel like one, regardless what the badge says, if not, what is the point, right? A buyer looking for a nice tii, would inmediately recognize something unique about your car (if he/she has test driven others). When I purchased mine, I flew with my wife to Southern Ca, and told her to wink if she would approve, within minutes she asked the PO and me to turn around and take her back to the airport, it was that quick, she just knew, and she is not even a car person!

Sell it for what it is, just a great car, if it has many Alpina parts, well that just explains it! The car really needs to stand on its own. I wish I could take your alpina for a test drive myself!

FAQ Member # 91

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by Max, but I'm sure there are more that were Euro delivery and driven by the owner to Buchloe and modified in various ways there. Leif Anderberg did that back then with his '74 Tii, and I'm sure there were more. What's an Alpina anyway? You could have all sorts of work done or not done on a car at Alpina, so is it then only an Alpina modified regular Tii even if it had more done to it than an offical Alpina tii?

You guys might have Alpina cars, but I have the only real Alpina jacket around these days. I bought it at Buchloe in 1975 and it was 300 bucks then. I can still wear it and it's slim enough that none of you Alpina tubs could fit in it.

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Alpina's also had beefed up struts too - I think they were 50mm in diameter instead of the 40mm that they were for normal Tii's...

All parts that were available in the Alpina package was also available as individual parts.

Todd

toddsig05.jpg
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Thanks again for all of the feedback guys.

Dubois - you are absolutely right - my car is what it is, and I really only have two reasons for caring whether it is an Alpina or not:

1. So I can say the right thing when the person asks what the badge means, and not mislead some guy - or at least be able to tell him what goes into making an Alpina.

2. So I know what it means for my own knowledge.

If you get a chance and have some spare time, and find yourself up from Hollister, you sure can take my car for a spin.

It's been my daily driver for seven years now and has seen a little track time - so it's taken a bit of punishment, but it is still a machine. I put on the 15 inch tires and there has never been a curve she hasn't responded to. I have never, ever gotten loose - even on curves that sent my friend's M3 scurrying for the traction control.

I have to admit that I haven't spent enough time doting on her - nor enough time talking to knowledgeable folks on this board about how to take care of her.

Thanks for your help.

Ed

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You guys might have Alpina cars, but I have the only real Alpina jacket around these days. I bought it at Buchloe in 1975 and it was 300 bucks then. I can still wear it and it's slim enough that none of you Alpina tubs could fit in it.

Jay, so what if you have an Alpina jacket? That "tubs" comment seems a bit arrogant here when most of the posters here are trying to help the guy out with his nice car.

It's been said before, please post that over on the off topic area, where you can get more laughs than here.

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