--- title: "This Rare V12 BMW Alpina Was Stupid Cheap Because Some Goob Swapped It to Propane" date: "2025-01-30" modified: "2025-01-30" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-rare-v12-bmw-alpina-was-stupid-cheap-because-some-goob-swapped-it-to-propane" categories: - "BMW News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "7 Series" - "BMW" - "luxury car" --- # This Rare V12 BMW Alpina Was Stupid Cheap Because Some Goob Swapped It to Propane ![]() *\M529 Restorations\* For a BMW nerd, seeing an E38-generation [Alpina]() B12 6.0 in the flesh is like seeing the face of god. Not only is it an Alpina version of the best [7 Series]() ever made, but it's the best B12 of them all, and only 94 were ever built. You can imagine the excitement when Sreten of M539 Restorations got an email from a dealership telling him they had one for cheap. There was a catch, though: A previous owner converted that glorious V12 to use liquified petroleum gas (LPG). LPG is essentially just propane gas, sort of like the same stuff you use to fire up your Weber grill in the summer. So when Sreten finally got to the dealership and popped the hood on the ultra-rare Alpina, it had all sorts of confusing LPG injectors, hoses, and brackets mounted to the intake manifold. Frustratingly, that also ruined the beautiful Alpina manifold, which had the brand's signature blue and green color scheme. Those hoses ran to the trunk, where a massive LPG gas tank was hidden behind a false wall, cutting off most of the available trunk space. This entire conversion was a crime against the automotive world. ![]() ![]() The original "M73" [BMW]() V12 displaced 5.4 liters. In this case, Alpina bumped that to 6.0 liters, swapped its pistons for higher-compression Mahle aluminum ones, upgraded the camshafts, and modified both the intake and exhaust manifolds. The results were 424 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. While its 0-60 mph time wasn't anything groundbreaking at 5.9 seconds, its 181 mph top speed made the Alpina B12 6.0 almost as fast as a 996-generation [Porsche 911 Turbo]() (189 mph), despite seating three more people, having two more doors, and packing far more luxury. What a machine. So why the hell would anyone convert that monster of a classic engine to LPG? Cost, for one thing. LPG can be significantly cheaper than gasoline. But someone who spends big bucks on a fuel-chugging V12 likely isn't concerned with gas prices. Instead, they probably did so for the environmental benefits. LPG is much cleaner to burn than gasoline, with fewer emissions. And since the Alpina B12 burns so much fuel, maybe they wanted to be as green as possible. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Now that Sreten bought the Alpina B12, he's going to embark on a journey of removing all of the LPG hardware and converting it back to the way it was. It's a brave journey, too, as it's likely going to be difficult, confusing, and expensive—especially since Sreten has no experience with LPG tech. Thankfully, the rest of the car seems to be in good shape, so the journey shouldn't require too many detours. It's a journey I admire, either way. He knows it's going to be maddening but it will be worth it because, once it's done, he'll have one of the coolest luxury sedans ever made, not to mention one of the best-looking. The content will also probably do pretty well on his channel, so that doesn't hurt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADfwC4wojG0 *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()