Alpina Is About To Take BMW Luxury To New Heights
BMW tuning firm and now in-house modification company Alpina is planning something new. The company posted a teaser of its latest model on its Facebook page (the post is embedded at the bottom of this article), and it has us scrambling to figure out the automaker’s plans. Our best guess is that you’re looking at a new BMW Alpina version of the 8 Series. However, that choice has us a bit surprised. That’s because rumors have been spreading that the BMW 8 Series isn’t long for this world. Those reports have the M8 coupe ending production this year as sales of large coupes pale in comparison with those of SUVs.
BMW
BMW is a German luxury car and motorbike manufacturer and current owner of Mini, Rolls-Royce, and Alpina. With roots dating back to 1913 as Rapp Motorenwerke, it officially became Bayerische Motoren Werke in 1922 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. BMW’s first car was built in 1928 when it built the Austin 7 under license from Dixi, which was called the BMW 3/15. BMW grew into a manufacturer of premium and luxury automobiles, launching iconic nameplates like the 3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series, and is today known as one of the leading luxury automakers in the world, while the BMW M division is hailed as a leading manufacturer of performance cars.
- Founded
- 1916
- Founder
- Karl Rapp
- Headquarters
- Munich, Germany
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Oliver Zipse
Headlights Give Away The Model As An 8
It’s the headlights that hint at this car being an Alpina 8 Series, or Alpina B8, as the German performance firm calls its version of the model. The hint is in the accent light LEDs, which are two three-sided shapes running under the main beams. The sculptural shape of the hood also seems to match the 8.
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BMW only makes one model right now with an under-mount accent light like that. The i4 had a similar light signature for 2024, but it was dropped for the 2025 model year refresh. The i4 also has a different hood crease than this one, which more closely lines up with the 8’s.
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Alpina has a long history of making BMW models faster, but instead of trampling on the feet of BMW’s own M, it offered an alternative. That’s why the company was so successful that BMW bought it and brought it in-house. The goal has never been ultimate performance; rather, it has been to turn BMWs into more capable grand touring cars – using automatic transmissions instead of manuals, keeping softer suspension tuning than M cars, and other similar changes.
The Current B8 Delivers M-Beating Torque, But BMW Is Reviewing Its Lineup
The current Alpina B8 takes the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 from the M850i instead of the more hardcore version used in the M8. Alpina tweaks it from the factory 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque to 612 hp and 590 lb-ft. That’s slightly less power than the M8 Competition but nearly 40 more lb-ft of torque.
Even more power is possible because Alpina has already extracted more from the same V8 in the B5 GT. 634 horsepower, to be precise, and 627 lb-ft.
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All three models will happily hum along at over 150 mph.
Cosmetic changes are more subtle than the M8’s, with slight changes to the front and rear fascia. The most noticeable of the exterior differences to the outside of the B8 are Alpina’s signature multi-spoke wheels, with larger brakes hiding behind.
Whatever Alpina has planned, expect to see it soon. Alpina will start operating as an official BMW entity from 2026, and a new car just before then is a great way of whetting appetites. If this is the end for the 8 Series, it may not be a permanent one. Some reports say BMW is bringing the 6 Series nameplate back in 2026, and it’ll probably have plenty of 8 Series flavor. The current 8 is also set to become available as a limited-volume realization of the Skytop concept.
