In celebration of 40 years in Japan, Alpina has pulled the wraps off its 3 Series AWD model, which will be available here in sedan and Touring wagon forms. Pricing will start at the equivalent of $113,000-$119,350 for the sedan and wagon including local taxes (for reference, an M340i xDrive wagon starts at $92,473 in Japan).

As usual, the wizards of Buchloe, Bavaria serve as a performance foil to the mothership's M division, offering up grander touring in comfort with an emphasis on effortless low-end torque over hair-on-fire horsepower. Alpina fits its own twin turbochargers to BMW's iconic 3.0-liter straight six, along with custom intake and exhaust plumbing, engine control software, cooling upgrades, and more. The result is 456 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. That's up from 382 hp/369 lb-ft in the base M340i and 444 hp/406 lb-ft on the M3 Competition. Power is routed to all four wheels through a traditional eight-speed automatic and an electronically controlled helical-type limited-slip rear differential. Alpina pegs 0-62-mph acceleration in 3.8 seconds en route to a top speed of 188 mph.

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Chassis modifications include unique Alpina Variable Damper Control and variable sport steering assist, plus Pirelli P Zero tires on a choice of 18- or 20-inch lightweight forged Alpina turbine-style wheels (sadly these do not include a hollow spoke leading to a concealed valve stem under the center cap as many Alpina wheels in the past have).