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My first car was an elderly Rover Mini. But with an offer too good to refuse and a few years' driving now under my belt, its successor has proven... quite different.

In my mind, and my mind only, an Alpina D3 Touring is a very sensible replacement: it is diesel, and therefore economical (I’m seeing 50mpg); it is practical (the dogs are enjoying slobbering on the Oxydbraun leather rear headrests); and it is (hopefully) depreciation-proof.

In other people’s minds – ie my father’s – it is not so sensible.

After all, it’s a 17-year-old BMW – don’t call it that in front of me – with 168,000 miles (quickly rising) and the dreaded ‘5+’ owners.

Plus, I’ve got the comfort of knowing that it has some rare and expensively unique parts on it that will surely be rather less than easy to source, should they need replacing.

A rational purchase? Maybe not, but then the alternatives on my shopping list were hardly Priuses. (Reader, they were all Alfa Romeos.)

I've ended up with a seriously cool manual Alpina wagon, from arguably the peak era of BMW, for not too much cash (£7500, if you must know) – and I couldn’t be happier.

Sure enough, I’ve got some big things planned for this car, and it’s inevitably got some big bills planned for me.

19 February 2025: Alpina goes Alpine

There’s nothing faster than a diesel for travelling long distances, and the D3 proved that last week.

Over an almost 1500-mile round trip to La Toussuire in the French Alps, it averaged 44mpg (with an average speed nudging 80mph). That meant that we only had to fill up twice, and we still got home with leftovers in the tank.

If you’re the kind to do long journeys in one hit, there’s no substitute for it, and it makes me wonder how much longer it would take in an electric car.

It’s obviously feasible: on the French autoroutes, you will see plenty of British Teslas off on their ski trips, but how much longer did it take them than it took me? And before they had their electric car, did they do the journey in one hit, or have they always ambled down?

Beyond the economy and prodigious high-speed cruising ability, the D3 impressed the other three passengers with its low road noise and crisp sound system. It’s hard to think of a car I’d rather do the trip in.

We were lucky, though, to encounter little snow on the roads, even high in the mountains, because that might have uncovered the weakness of rear-wheel drive and 265-section tyres. I doubt even snow socks would have been able to help us out.

14 May 2025: Forget it being a diesel, this is still a thoroughbred

Is my E90-generation D3 a proper Alpina

They’re a bit like Porsche’s 996-generation 911s, in that there’s little love lost over them and they’re seen as being a bit uncool.

After all, in 1995 Alpina had stuck a 4.6-litre 333bhp V8 in an E36 3 Series, yet by 2007 they thought a 2.0-litre diesel was appropriate.

I admit that sounds like something of a letdown, and quite frankly it’s difficult to get excited by the engine, which in this case wasn’t as key to the package as an engine should be in an Alpina.

There is a reason for that, however. In the early 2000s, Alpina found itself in financial trouble, and it needed an affordable ‘volume’ seller to raise some revenue and help balance the books. Step in the D3.

It had a Garrett turbo, the injectors and intercooler from a 535d and a special suspension set-up to give that famous Alpina ride.

With 197bhp and more than 300lb ft it was enough to get from 0-62mph in 7.4sec, which wasn’t too bad almost 20 years ago.

In the end, Alpina produced just over 2000 D3s across eight years. That’s nothing for most manufacturers, but it was enough to keep the lights on in this case.

Carina Bovensiepen, the granddaughter of Alpina founder Burkard, agrees with me: “I’m also the proud owner of an E91 D3 with a manual gearbox – the last one for Alpina. Part of Alpina’s philosophy is long-distance touring, and fuel consumption is a large part of that, so it’s a complete lie that it is not a real Alpina. Plus, you can have a lot of fun with the car, and not just in the snow!”

6 August 2025: Big bills arrive – but I love it all the same

Just as I was beginning to settle into life with the ’Pina, I’ve had to spend a load more dosh on it. I say ‘had to’, but I didn’t really: I just wanted to get the car the kit it deserves.

It’s had new dampers, springs, brake pads and discs (and two rear calipers) – all to the tune of around £3000.

Strictly speaking, every part on each corner didn’t need replacing, but there were multiple tired bits on each axle, and I’ve always been under the impression that it’s best to replace in sets. Plus, it should keep me satisfied for the next umpteen years.

Unfortunately, I had a bit of a mix-up with incorrect springs (any Alpina owner can probably tell you of similar mix-ups), but since then it has proved its worth.

In fact, it excelled on a recent road trip to Wales with a few Autocar colleagues when, against some of the best hot hatches ever made, it defied its supposed age and size disadvantage.

It had all of the bite (if not quite the agility) of the Ford Fiesta ST and greater touring credentials than the Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk7.

It even proved more efficient while being hooned than a brand-new Skoda Fabia (admittedly not an all-time great hot hatch).

Is it perfect? No. It’s costing me a bit more to run so far than I had hoped, but it would be damn difficult to find a better all-rounder. In fact, I don’t think there is one.

Bentley will imminently unveil a new Continental Supersports as a high-end, rear-driven model with a pure-combustion V8 packing more than 640bhp, Autocar can exclusively reveal – and it will serve as a showcase for a line of new “extreme” performance cars.

Spy photographers recently captured the new model testing, with the prototype’s large rear spoiler and bold quad exhausts hinting at its performance edge. The test car otherwise sported standard bodywork, but Autocar sources have confirmed that the production version, set to be revealed late this year, will receive a far more dramatic makeover from the recently updated standard Continental GT.

The sporting remit of the new model is shown by the intention to revive the rarely used Supersports name, which last appeared in 2017 on a range-topping version of the previous-generation Continental, featuring a 6.0-litre W12 engine tuned to 700bhp.

The new Continental Supersports is understood to be conceived to showcase how, uniquely among high-end car brands, Bentley has the heritage to offer both luxury – as demonstrated by the recent EXP 15 concept – and performance. Bentley boss Frank-Steffen Walliser has previously told Autocar of plans for “more extreme” models that would reinforce the brand’s sporting heritage and credentials. It is believed the new Supersports will be the first example of that, with other models tipped to follow.

The retirement of Bentley’s W12 engine in favour of a twin-turbo V8 means the new Supersports won’t have as much power as its predecessor. It will also be less potent than the top-spec Continental GT Speed, which produces 771bhp from a plug-in hybrid powertrain. However, it’s understood that extreme lightweighting measures mean the non-electrified Supersports will be able to serve as a “pure-performance” model.

The Supersports is set to retain the 4.0-litre twinturbo V8 from the GT Speed, but our sources claim the unit has been reconfigured and output boosted from 592bhp to around 640bhp, while the 188bhp gearbox-mounted electric motor has been ditched. Whereas the GT Speed is all-wheel drive, the Supersports will be purely rear-driven.

The real key to extracting extreme performance from the new Supersports will be the weight-saving measures undertaken by Bentley’s development team in Crewe. Sources suggest that the car will weigh around 2000kg, compared with 2459kg for the GT Speed. That would make it the lightest Bentley in decades and our sources say it will be capable of matching the GT Speed’s 0-60mph time of 3.1sec.

Ditching the PHEV system is a fundamental aspect of the weight-saving but the Supersports is also likely to feature measures such as carbonfibre bodywork elements (including the roof), lightweight sports seats in the front and the removal of the rear seats.

Other performance changes will include the use of Akrapovic exhausts, custom lightweight wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes. Weight-saving has been a feature of the previous two Continental Supersports, but the new car is said to take that approach to the next level.

The bodywork will be given a major makeover for the Supersports, partly to match its ‘extreme’ focus and also to aid performance. The large rear spoiler seen in spy shots will remain and the car will also feature aggressive air channelling and extended ground effects to optimise its aerodynamics.

The new Continental Supersports is understood to be a strictly limited-run model. Its production run is believed to be in the low hundreds and pricing is set to start at around £400,000.

That’s a significant uplift from the £237,000 starting point for the GT Speed – and, given the high-end customers being targeted, virtually every example of the Supersports is expected to feature customisation from the Mulliner division, ranging from special exterior paint designs to interior trim offerings.

The new Supersports has already been shown to a limited number of customers and several orders have been placed. The model is understood to be on track for a public reveal later this year before deliveries begin late in 2026.