Inside BMW’s Nearly $150,000 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe

READ MORE: Lenders Are Looking to Fuel Classic Car Buying

Last year, BMW announced that it had acquired Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co., known as just Alpina. The firm had been owned by the Bovensiepen family. The alliance goes all the way back to 1962, when Burkhard Bovensiepen designed a Weber dual carb installation for the 1500 model. By 1965, it had eight employees and operated a thriving BMW tuning business with an emphasis on racing—it won the European Touring Car Championship in 1970.

In 1983, the company became a certified automaker, meaning at that time that the cars were registered as Alpinas, but could still be serviced at any BMW dealer. Today, B8 Alpinas are virtually handmade from the base 8-Series. 

A 2024 BMW 840i starts at US$90,800, and a M850i xDrive US$106,300. So what does an extra US$40,000 get you? The core is Alpina’s tuning of the 4.4-liter bi-turbo V8, producing 612 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. This is the same basic engine as the M850i, which makes do with 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet. The big, heavy (4,800 pounds) car can reach 60 miles per hour in 3.3 seconds and hit 201 miles per hour. The alternative is the M8 Competition model, which achieves 60 in just 2.7 seconds. Shifting is via an eight-speed ZF automatic, also tuned by Alpina. 

There’s a lot more to the Alpina B8 than the badge on the console. The car comes with all-wheel drive, rear steering, and a limited-slip differential. Alpina also refined the sport suspension to handle all that power, and, for appearance’s sake, added a discreet rear spoiler, bigger air intakes, and a low front spoiler (Watch those curbs!). The interior is extra plush, with gorgeous brown-and-cream leather seats that match the rest of the interior. The leather is complemented by ash black silver wood trim.

READ MORE: Meet the Maker of the World’s Largest Lab-Grown Diamond Ring

There’s a cut-crystal glass shifter, iDrive Controller, and start button; Nappa leather dash cover; and a hand-stitched leather steering wheel. A full range of interior trims are available, though full Merino leather costs more. 

The 21-inch wheels are Alpina’s own and badged as such. The big front seats are 16-way adjustable, and the heated console makes a great hand rest. Though this is a high-performance sedan, it’s not a noticeably noisy one. The ultra-fast acceleration and near-silent operation may convince you it’s an electric car. 

The ride is on the firm side, even in comfort mode. Potholes will make their presence known, but it’s not jarring. The benefit is very flat cornering and the ability to throw the B8, big as it is, around bends without slowing down much. All in all, unless you take it on the track, the BMW Alpina B8 will treat you well as a very luxurious cruiser that will overtake just about anything without much strain. The penalty is 17 miles per gallon in the city and 24 on the highway (19 combined). Fuel prices are coming down, but still. 

Rear-seat accommodations are not up to limousine standards, and only two passengers can ride. The console that offers climate controls and USB-C plugs extends all the way back, meaning anyone in the middle seat would have to straddle it rather uncomfortably. Knee room could be better, but headroom is fine, even for six-footers. The trunk is decent sized, with 16 square feet of volume. 

The BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupe requires few compromises from its driver, and zero sacrifices in luxury. It’s a very exclusive car—you’re not likely to see another one on the road. The only hurdle is the big price tag at the top of the BMW range. When acquiring Alpina, Jens Thiemer, senior vice president for customer and brand at BMW says that the tuned models find “the right balance between cultivated sportiness, luxury, and exclusivity. We are delighted to acquire the trademark rights to Alpina.”