By Michael Goetz

After sitting in the stands for 20 years, reknowned BMW tuner, Alpina, returns to the starting grid in 2009, and will do so with a very tricked out 6 Series — the B6 GT3.

BMW Alpina B6 GT3

Alpina will field two race cars in the FIA GT3 European Championships and selected 24-hour endurance races (we’re guessing, but the latter looks like Nurburgring and Le Mans). But as the B6 GT3 will be available to “clients and collectors and race teams alike,” expect to see more than just that pair on racetracks this season.

The car is obviously modified with a lots of go-faster stuff, including race-ready electronic control systems, and various safety and areodynamic parahphenlia. The B6’s 4.4-litre V8 will be fitted with a unique radical compressor, based on a similarly-designed unit in the BMW Alpina B6 S. Net result is 530 horsepower and 725Nm of toque.