After one stab of the loud pedal, you understand why BMW doesn't bother to make an M version of the 7 Series. The 2011 BMW 750Li Alpina B7 is all the M7 you'll ever want, a fire-breathing 500-horsepower version of the BMW 7 Series that doesn't forget that it's all right to be comfortable while you're hurtling down the autobahn at top speed.

As soon as you take the steering wheel in your hands, you know you're in something special. The rim is finished with silky leather, and BMW's typical cross-stitching has been changed to a directional pattern so your hands aren't rubbed raw when you're spinning the wheel. Alpina has also installed its own proprietary control buttons, notably an aluminum nipple at either side that actuates transmission shifts.

Now This Is Engineering
Anyone can take a 750i and turn up the boost. The real story here is in the engineering that Alpina has put into its effort. This company has come a long way since 1962 when Burkhard Bovensiepen put dual Weber carburetors on the BMW 1500. Alpina progressed from a motorsports tuner to a full-fledged small-volume manufacturer in 1983, and now it's a full partner with BMW, producing a whole range of specialty cars derived from BMW models. When you buy the 2011 BMW 750Li Alpina B7, it's even backed by a full BMW warranty.

Everywhere you look, this Alpina shows evidence of a comprehensive approach to performance engineering. The floor pan has numerous structural reinforcements. The brakes come from the BMW 760i Protection, BMW's 7,000-pound armored sedan. The usual six-speed ZF-built transmission has been fitted with strengthened gears, including some from ZF's gearbox for 7.5-ton trucks. Even the driveshaft and axles are the beefed-up units from the 760i Protection.

This is heavy-duty engineering that's all about reliability and durability. Many of these cars end up in hot places like Hong Kong or the United Arab Emirates, where they see duty as stoplight racers, so there's a bigger radiator, an oil cooler and three bigger intercoolers, not to mention a rear differential cooler. There are so many coolers here, you'd think a nuclear reactor was locked inside.