Alpina Z4 in New Zealand. Or is this a scam?

[NZ00Z3]

An interesting advert hit my inbox this morning. It's for the only Z4 Alpina in New Zealand. But the BMW community down here is smelling a rat, so we're in need of your UK eagle eyed detectives to help solve the mystery.

Advert: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/...6709-5791-44E1-AFDB-C46190AEDD43&bof=KUqbxad5

There is only 1 N.Z. Photo, the rest appear to be from the UK, with a UK number plate, FJ05 NFN.

The VIN attached to the N.Z. number plate, if it is correct, does come back as an Alpina. See attached.

Maybe it's just that we don't know the Alpina Z4 down here, but there looks to be just too many BMW badges and an engine that looks a lot like the underrated USA spec S52 for it to really be an Alpina.

The price of NZ$65,000 can get you a very nice Z4M Roadster or Coupe down here. Is this car really as good?

What do you think?

 

[t-tony]

That spec sheet shows it as a 3.0i with the M54 engine, so the same as the car I recently sold. Not an Alpina.

Tony.

 

[Mike Fishwick]

Assuming that it is genuine, this would be an Alpina Roadster S. If you are seriously interested, it would be safe to ask Alpina at Buchloe to confirm its authenticity, as the spec sheet does not do so. The inlet manifold looks right, but it is difficult to be sure of the interior in these photos. It is a nice car, but the suspension is surprisingly firm.

 

[t-tony]

FJ05NFN last MOT expired in 2016.

Tony.

 

[Richard29]

Be cautious. I had a classic car company in germany trying to sell me a z3 last week. They sent me a pdf of the pictures snd it was my own car. You cannot make it up. The insisted it was in a shipping container in hamburg awaiting shipping. £9.5k.

 

[Zont]

It appears to be an Alpina if you put the reg into the gov.uk tax checker. Make is listed as ALPINA BMW and Engine capacity shows 3346 cc.

 

[Nodzed]

You cant use the windscreen BMW VIN to check as it will show the car that left the factory to go to Alpina which would have been a stock model. All Z4 Alpina's had a new VIN stamped on the top of the left front turret (as you look at the car from the front) Also it will have an Alpina plaque above the interior mirror showing the build number.
It looks good from the photos but you need the correct VIN to check it.
Looks like there is something there, it has a clear tape over it that can discolour so difficult to see, I took mine off.
There should also be the Alpina leather case with the booklets in and the Alpina Certificate.

 

[Nodzed]

but there looks to be just too many BMW badges and an engine that looks a lot like the underrated USA spec S52 for it to really be an Alpina.

Engine is totally correct visually and BMW/Alpina had an agreement that the Alpina variants would retain all BMW badges on the exterior of the body shell, so that's all correct too. Some owners swapped the BMW badges for Alpina one's as I did but its not correct.

 

[Nodzed]

Is this car really as good?

Not in my opinion, but its powerful with a great exhaust note and a comfortable but sporty ride if that makes sense. But what you are actually paying for is the rarity factor regardless of where in the world you are, they just didn't produce many as BMW decided to introduce the ///M post Alpina production that sort of made the mark redundant.

If the rarity factor is not an interest then I would buy an ///M

Alpina Roadster S - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org