Back on the very first day of 2026, the Alpina brand was finally acquired by BMW after 60 years, becoming an official sub-brand of the Bavarian giant. Now, just a few months on, we’ve finally got out first taste of what to expect from the reinvented brand.
Revealed this weekend at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, an event organised and sponsored by BMW Group, the covers were lifted off the Vision BMW Alpina – a one-off concept car that reinvents the Alpina brand’s blend of luxury and performance with a contemporary twist.
With an impressive 5200mm length and wide stance, sitting low on staggered 22-inch front and 23-inch rear wheels, the two-door coupé is every bit a Grand Tourer in the traditional sense.
Featuring a long and raked roofline and aggressive shark-nose front, a reinterpreted BMW kidney grille with inward-facing return surfaces inspired by the BMW 507 adorns the front end of the car above the typically-placed “ALPINA” lower grille badging.
Deco-lines have been a part of Alpina design language since 1974, and they of course still feature on this concept, subtly painted beneath the clearcoat on either side of the car.
However, the most important thing to note is that despite current industry trends, especially when it comes to concept cars like this, BMW has resisted the allure of an electric drivetrain in favour of a V8 engine. You love to see it… and hear it!
Remaining true to the classic Alpina way, BMW promises that the V8 has been “tuned to produce the characteristic notes of the Alpina exhaust: rich and deep at low speed, sonorous at high revs”.
You can hear it for yourself in the clip posted to Instagram below.
Inside, the concept leans into the late Alpina founder Burkard Bovensiepen’s philosophy that a comfortable driver is a faster driver by including a special Comfort+ drive mode setting, something only ever offered on Alpina models.
There are also plenty of luxuries inside including the BMW Panoramic iDrive infotainment system that spans across the dashboard, full-grain leather upholstery, clear-cut crystal controls, and even a self-deploying mechanism that reveals a glass water bottle and custom crystal glasses for rear passengers.
“Alpina has always represented a very specific idea of performance and refinement – where speed and comfort are complementary ambitions,” explains Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design.
“Our role as the new custodians of this brand is to preserve this distinctiveness and shape it for a contemporary context. Vision BMW Alpina shows how these qualities can be expressed with discipline and modernity, suggesting what our direction is for this brand as we move it into the future.”
Given this car is only a one-off design study, this impressive V8 coupé sadly isn’t slated for production. However, BMW has revealed that the first BMW Alpina model will be inspired by the full-size 7 Series sedan and is set to enter production in 2027.
