We’re all waiting for the new BMW G80 M3 and G82 M4, but the highly coveted M brothers are still a few months away. But, if you just can’t seem to wait anymore, you have some different solutions from two very different companies: ALPINA and G-Power. While the ALPINA B3 has been around for quite some time, I’m sure some of you might be confused by the G-Power mention.
That’s because the German tuner just announced its kit for the BMW M340i xDrive and it’s a beast. The most powerful version, the GP-510, has no less than 510 PS (503 HP) squeezed out of the 3-liter straight six B58 engine under the hood. How? It’s a mix of both hardware and software changes. The ECU map is, of course, modified, but you also have to get a bigger G-Power turbocharger, a new stainless steel exhaust with a free-flowing 200-cell catalytic converter as well as a new downpipe.
In the end you get 510 PS (503 HP) and 509 lb-ft (690 Nm) of torque out from under the hood, numbers which puts in the M3 territory. According to G-Power, the all-wheel drive system allows the GP-510 model to reach 62 mph from standstill in 3.7 seconds. For those thinking this might be a bit too much, there are two other choices available as well, the GP-420 or the GP-470. The former is the cheapest at €1,695 and involves just an ECU-flash, dropping the acceleration time to 62 to 4 seconds flat, thanks to the 420 PS (414 HP) the engine would be developing.
The GP-470 starts off with an ECU map and finishes with all the exhaust changes I mentioned above. It costs €1,995 for the software, €2,250 for the downpipe and cat, and €3,927 for the valved exhaust. In the end you get a 470 PS (464 HP) engine with 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque and a sprint of 3.8 seconds to 62 mph.
Considering the top of the range tune, the GP-510, adds €2,450 to the price for just 0.1 seconds off the sprint time, I think the middle ground is where the best bang/buck ratio is. The best part? This upgrade can also be done on the Touring models, basically offering you an M3 Touring.
