Has it begun?

[v8 ego]

So, I visited Sytner in Nottingham and I was pouring over a very nice brand new B5 Touring.

The odd thing was that there was only one VIN number stamped under the bonnet and this number also appeared in the usual place on the windscreen. The VIN started WAP, identifying the car as an Alpina but the last 3 digits were not the same as the vehicle's build number.

Is this the start of BMW's influence on the organisation of Alpina or just another oddity?

[Bob]

This has been happening since just after launch of the G16 B8’s. It’s part of the integration that was supposed to improve things like the servicing and options spec checks but now with hindsight it was probably an early indicator of things to come.

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[James_G]

Personally I see this as a good thing. The whole two VIN thing causes issues for those that don't understand it (which is most) and it's more aggro that it's worth.

One of the things that I like about my B2.5 is that it doesn't have a 2nd VIN so there is simply no confusion when I head off to get parts.

[simon13]

It was hardly a hard system to understand in the first place, and those who thought them ringers are ringers! Ever seen a car with its original VIN neatly stamped out with a new one stamped below and a nice sticker over the top to stop herberts poking at it with a pick?!

Always use BMW donor vin for parts on older cars. The alpina ones never work