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Since 1965, Alpina has argued that refinement and performance are the same pursuit. BMW's vision for its future makes that case more forcefully than ever. From a small Bavarian workshop in Buchloe, Burkard Bovensiepen transformed tuned BMWs into a philosophy of effortless performance, proving that comfort could make a driver faster. Now, unveiled at the 2026 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the Vision BMW Alpina carries that legacy into a new era under its next custodians.
The coupé roofline is long and deeply raked, and it makes no apology. The proportions are deliberate as they showcase a wide stance, low centre of gravity, and a forward-leaning nose that compresses the air ahead of it.
The front is defined by BMW’s sculptural “shark nose” grille, while a single rising crease, the speed feature line flows seamlessly from front to rear, shaping the car’s entire silhouette.
Beneath the clear coat, Alpina's deco-lines, part of the brand's visual language since 1974, are painted directly onto the body. Inward-facing surfaces are finished in a dark metallic tone; the inner surfaces of the shark nose carry a fine deco-line graphic, revealed only when the perimeter lighting activates. It is a technique borrowed from the BMW 507, which placed chrome only on the inside of its kidney grilles.
The Vision BMW Alpina retains the signature details, from its classic 20-spoke wheels, 22 inches at the front and 23 at the rear, to the iconic four-pipe elliptical exhaust. Even the polished Alpina lettering on the front apron is crafted with purposeful precision rather than ornamentation.
When you look inside, the cabin is generous both in space and in material. The speed feature line continues inside, dividing the darker upper cabin from the lighter lower section. Full-grain leather sourced from producers across the Alpine region lines the surfaces. A bridge stitch, drawn from the tradition of hand-stitched steering wheels, appears sparingly in heritage blue and green.
Metal components are finished using a watchmaking-inspired bevelling technique, combining satin and polished surfaces. Crystal is used only where it earns its place: the primary driving controls. The logic behind, again, is Bovensiepen's: mark what matters.
Where many luxury interiors absorb everything into a seamless surface, Vision BMW Alpina takes the opposite approach: each element is designed as a distinct form, given its own volume, its own presence.
BMW Panoramic iDrive spans the dashboard. A passenger screen is integrated. The backdrop to the head-up display is intentional, too, which is a precise rendering of the mountain range visible looking south from Buchloe.
Behind the rear console, a glass water bottle and a pair of crystal glasses rise on a self-deploying mechanism. Each glass is engraved with 20 deco-lines, features a six-degree rim profile, and is softly lit from below.
A V8 engine in this version sits beneath the bonnet, tuned to give performance and desired output. The commanding powertrain is rich and textured at low revs and sonorous when pressed. It will make its case through numbers and will also take you miles.
The direct ancestor of Vision BMW Alpina is the B7 coupé of the late 1970s, built on the E24 6 Series, with a long bonnet, wide stance, and that same shark nose. It was the car that confirmed Alpina's position in the luxury segment, demonstrating that the brand's performance philosophy. Every model since has carried that proof. The Vision BMW Alpina is the next statement in that argument.