Here is another forbidden fruit for us Americans: the BMW ALPINA B3 Touring. Sold in Europe, and in some other parts of the world, the B3 Touring is one of ALPINA’s best selling cars, and arguably, one of the coolest. Now imagine pairing the great proportions and design of the B3 with the iconic ALPINA Green metallic paint, and you certainly have a winner on your hands. This is exemplified by a model recently showcased in Belgium at the BMW Delbecq showroom.

The Ideal Car?

Despite being one of the swiftest production estate cars ever with a maximum speed of 302 km/h, the BMW Alpina B3 Touring epitomizes subtle luxury and is more distinguished by its elegance than by any overt display of power. But of course, the power is there as well. Although this isn’t an M3 Touring, you still get the twin-turbo “S58” engine found in Bavaria’s super wagon. The 3.0-liter inline-six is slightly down on horsepower (488 hp vs 503 hp) in Buchloe’s speedy estate, but it does have substantially more torque (730 Nm vs 650 Nm). The ALPINA B3 wagon does 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in as little as 3.6 seconds to match the long-roof M3 and tops out at 190 mph (305 km/h). It’s actually faster than M’s Touring since BMW’s G81 is electronically limited to 174 mph (280 km/h) when equipped with the optional M Driver’s Package.

The B3 Touring’s overall design is enhanced by 20-inch ALPINA Classic wjee;s in black, adding to the green and black theme. These weight-optimized, forged wheels are an upscale addition at 3,760 euros, surpassing the cost of the ALPINA Green II metallic paint priced at 1,950 euros. Given these premium features and a starting price of 91,700 euros, it’s unsurprising that the BMW Alpina B3 Touring in question reaches a six-figure price tag.

So it looks good, it’s fast, it’s expensive too, but how practical is it? Aside from the obvious space advantages of a wagon ( 500 to 1,510-liter ), the ALPINA B3 Touring is capable of towing up to 1,800 kilograms. So imagine having your cake and eat it too.  Now if only BMW would have offered this one in the United States. But if we can’t get this cool wagon, we can still play with the stunning B8 Gran Coupe and XB7 luxury SUV.

[Photos: @bmw_delbecq / @tad.nv)]