New Alpina B7 will take BMW’s 7-series to a new level
BMW Alpina’s first car will be an ultra-exclusive, ultra-fast V8-engined version of the 7-series luxury saloon and is set to arrive in 2027
BMW Alpina’s first standalone model, a V8-engined car based on the BMW 7-series and set for launch in 2027, is undergoing testing. BMW’s newly-formed subsidiary company has offered new insight into the car's development, as well as showing off fresh images and video of the prototype during high-speed testing at Nardo.
This testing is to the end of refining the car in line with BMW Alpina’s stated brief – ‘speed not sport’, making it fast but not in an aggressive way. In the video, the car can be seen steadily but confidently crossing the 186mph barrier.
The new Alpina is confirmed to be receiving a version of BMW’s twin-turbo V8 engine, with the testing also focusing on refining the engine and throttle mapping so that there are no rough edges to the smooth delivery of its significant performance. It’s said the engine’s maximum torque is ‘available across virtually the entire rev range’.
For reference, the new BMW 7-series will also be available with the 4.4-litre S68 twin-turbo V8 in M760 xDrive-form. Without any of the hybrid assistance seen in the M5, it will develop 562bhp and 553lb ft. ‘Speed not sport’ also means the car must have a suspension set-up that balances dynamics with comfort, and this is another focus of these tests.
The images of the prototype seem to reveal that the car will be more than ‘inspired by the 7-series’ and actually follow its design closely. The car looks like a next-generation Alpina B7. The silhouette and lighting are a dead-ringers for those of the recently-updated 7-series limousine, with bespoke 20-spoke Alpina wheels and a quad-oval exhaust set-up that's typical of Alpina. The wheels and their tyres, with an extra foam layer to improve refinement, are another a subject of scrutiny during this testing, to make the car as refined as possible.
BMW buys Alpina: the background
Alpina officially became a part of BMW on 1 January 2026, with BMW having acquired the trademark rights to the Alpina brand, rather than the Alpina company as a whole.
Future BMW Alpina models will be positioned in a more upmarket space than previous cars from both firms. BMW has confirmed the BMW Alpina range of models will be positioned above the most expensive BMW models and the least expensive Rolls-Royce. It’s a potentially lucrative segment, with Range Rovers, for example, often optioned to £200,000 and up, and BMW aims to, in the company’s own words, ‘tap into additional potential at the top end of the market.’
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The feeling around Alpina’s wholesale absorption into the BMW Group was not one of optimism when it was first announced. At worst, there were fears the name would be mothballed and at best, that Alpina cars would lose the appreciable individuality from the BMWs on which they were based. The official launch of the new BMW Alpina brand (and subsequently the Vision BMW Alpina concept) gave the first clues as to what this new era may entail.
First, BMW calls BMW Alpina ‘an exclusive standalone brand under the BMW Group Umbrella’, which assuages those worst-case fears that the name would simply be retired. Given ongoing conjecture around the future of internal combustion, being its own brand, able to fall under any ‘low volume’ classifications that may be granted immunity from any future legislative pressures, could be a masterstroke on BMW’s part.
The cars will feature the words BMW ALPINA emblazoned at the centre of the rear. The traditional Alpina crest badge lives on but with a more modern redesign. It has a monochrome treatment in place of the old red and blue. It keeps the traditional throttle body and crankshaft emblems but no longer has the previous heraldic shield element.
BMW Alpina models will be capable of very high performance but will be clearly differentiated from BMW’s M division models, with an emphasis on comfort (including the famous Comfort+ driving mode) to the end of ‘speed not sport’.
BMW Alpina will also step up offerings in terms of bespoke options and accessories and the dealer and retail model will be based on that of Rolls-Royce. We can expect BMW Alpina’s first car, this ‘7-series-inspired model’, to be revealed in the first half of 2027, with sales likely to start in autumn.
