The new 2022 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe, the latest from the crew of BMW rebuilders, takes the 8 Series model and gives it the brand's signature touches of torque, luxury, and oh-so-many wheel spokes, further elevating BMW's top-flight grand tourer.
Rather than turn the four-door 8 Series into a track-ready machine like BMW's M team, Alpina set out to give it "superior long-distance travel comfort"; though the company says that it will still offer precise handling, as you'd expect from a car designed to cross the country in a single bound on the German Autobahn network.
Alpina, whose close ties with BMW mean its models are built at the same factories and sold in the same dealerships, tunes the chassis by setting up the adaptive dampers with a new comfort+ mode to soften the ride, with changes to every mode all the way to sport+. Hydraulic front strut mounts are meant to boost comfort and work with Eibach springs to stiffen the car. Strut supports are reinforced for stability during lane changes, while the active steering system with rear steer boost highway stability.
The engine is a 4.4L twin-turbo V8 like that found in the M850i model but it has been extensively revised with new intercoolers, twin-scroll turbos, special pistons, and recalibrations that give it 612 hp (just five less than M8 Competition) with 590 lb-ft of torque (37 lb-ft more than said M8) staying flat from 2,000 all the way to 5,000 rpm. It's that torque that is Alpina's signature, offering M-like power without the urge to keep the car near redline to use it. The engine has an active sports exhaust attached to it that can stay "sophisticated and restrained" in comfort mode or get loud at sportier settings.
Alpina has also modified the eight-speed automatic with a new high-performance torque converter, improved cooling, and quickened shifting. Comfort mode is tweaked to keep engine revs low and use the torque while sport mode gives a more dynamic experience, all the while the new torque converter, Alpina says, reduces vibrations into the cabin.
The wheels are perhaps the most visible hallmark of an Alpina, so the Alpina B8 will wear 21-inch alloys with the company signature 20-spoke design with covered hubs. Pirelli tires developed for the car have a noise-cancelling system fitted in the front for improved acoustics, while inside the wheels are blue Brembo brake calipers (four-piston up front) with larger-diameter rotors.
The Alpina body rework includes large front grilles and a black rear diffuser along with rear spoiler, with the cars offered in two Alpina-exclusive colours and a range of BMW Individual shades. The interior has a lasered Alpina logo in the crystal iDrive controller as well as model-specific trimmings and a steering wheel finished in untreated Lavalina leather.
The BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupe will arrive at showrooms this summer, with pricing to follow, joining the Alpina B7 and XB7 there.
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