New Vision BMW Alpina readied for Villa D'Este
We've all had our guesses as to what a BMW Alpina might be; we'll have a better idea this Friday
Can’t be an easy task, reinventing Alpina. That’s the job BMW has ahead, having taken over the naming rights from the Bovensiepen family at the start of 2026. Keep it too traditional and the relaunch will look lazy, trading too heavily on former glories (and 20-spoke wheels); but make a BMW Alpina too different from what was loved about Buchloe-era Alpinas and the car might struggle for a USP. It must strike the right balance between BMW and Alpina to both appeal to existing buyers and entice conquest customers. Not simple.
This is the first look at what’s to come, a preview of the Vision BMW Alpina set to debut at Villa D’Este this Friday. As always, there’s not very much to be identified for certain, though there are reasons to be encouraged. It’s not an X7, for one thing, instead, a long, low, sleek coupe - the kind of thing Alpina has always excelled at. From the E24 6 Series models of the '80s and 8 Series Alpinas of the '90s to the 21st-century resurrections of both, the large super GT is something Alpina has always done exceptionally well. It’s nice to see that heritage hasn’t been abandoned.
Apparently what we’re looking at here is a ‘composition of sophistication, performance and comfort’, so expect a fast car - but a very different experience to an M product. And it would seem that BMW Alpina is setting out its stall immediately as the maker of large and lavish machines; probably the days of the fabled badge on everyday BMWs are part of Alpina’s past. Finally, let’s not forget that BMW has often used Lake Como to show Vision concepts that end up strongly influencing production machines: see the 8 Series Vision of 2017, plus the recent Skytop and Speedtop that were actually made. So a Vision BMW Alpina really ought to preview what’s coming from the new era, rather than just show off what an unshackled design team can do.
We’ll know more on Friday afternoon. While recent BMW creations haven’t always met with unanimous approval, some of its concepts for Villa D’Este have been absolute stunners. And the future direction of Alpina is a pretty significant task. It has to be good - doesn’t it?
Interesting that the Bovensiepen's first car after they sold Alpina was a departure as well from what went before, I wonder if the old Alpina concept is truly dead since the sale and it's all moved up market and away from most.
BMW always seem to struggle with going upmarket, beyond their station. Which is a shame as they have the brand recognition and infrastructure to bring something special to market.
Then again, the number of car makers who bring something higher up the food chain to market is littered with failures, from Maybach to Vignale.
I guess the time has passed for a true BMW rival to the 911 or (now defunct) R8 and whatever this Alpina is is what we have left.
Interesting that the Bovensiepen's first car after they sold Alpina was a departure as well from what went before, I wonder if the old Alpina concept is truly dead since the sale and it's all moved up market and away from most.
Alpina's were never cheap but they were just about attainable. I guess if there's no lower models in the product plan then perhaps the concept is truly kaput. We'll have to wait and see.
Would be a shame as I've always loved Alpina's.
In the meantime, expect more incredibly expensive luxury EV models that a few hundred Chinese billionaires might conceivably buy...
This does look good mind
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