Premiering: The long-awaited ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe

The ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe is the new BMW M8’s long-awaited grand touring sibling. The ALPINA version has been in development for some time but was never officially announced until now. After evaluating the BMW M8 Gran Coupe, we soon realized that the 8er’s skills were much better suited for grand touring rather than full-on performance.

Modified V8 Engine

The BMW M850i Gran Coupe serves as the foundation for the ALPINA B8. The 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 is removed, dismantled, and replaced with a slew of new parts. The pistons, intercooler, intake manifold, and exhaust manifold are typically replaced. Larger twin-scroll turbochargers are also installed, giving it its own bespoke tune.

All of this adds up to 612 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. While this isn’t a huge upgrade over the M850i’s engine (523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft) on the document, the two engines are completely different as per ALPINA B7 and XB7’s judgement. The ALPINA version is punchier, smoother, responsive, and sounds even better. The latter is accentuated by an ALPINA-specific stainless steel exhaust system intended to improve the massive V8’s sound.

An ALPINA-tuned version of the same ZF eight-speed gearbox found in the M850i drives all of that power to the wheels. Not only has ALPINA re-calibrated the software, but the torque converter has also been beefed up to cope with the engine’s increased grunt.

Suspension Set up

The ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe has a lower ride height, stiffer shocks, and Eibach springs for greater precision and smooth handling. ALPINA also has a remarkable ability to make its cars firmer and more planted than the BMWs.

Pirelli designed a new tire for the ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe that measures 245/35ZR21 in the front and 285/3 ZR21 in the rear. They also get Pirelli’s noise-cancelling technology, keeping the cabin quiet thanks to the sticky tires. The grippy Pirellis are wrapped around ALPINA’s amazing classic wheel design. It comes standard with 21″ wheels and lockable hub covers to keep the look streamlined. You can get 20-inch wheels without hub covers whether you like winter or all-season tires.

Exterior and Interior Upgrades

Without the usual styling changes, the ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe would not be a true ALPINA. It gets aggressive lower front air intakes, a new front splitter with “ALPINA” written. It also arrives with a gloss black rear diffuser, quad exhausts that sit nicely in the rear bumper, and a subtle rear spoiler on the outside. In these pictures, the car is also dressed in a beautiful shade of ALPINA Green Metallic. If green isn’t your thing, there’s also an ALPINA Blue Metallic.

You will instantly greet with fine rich leather and a steering wheel wrapped around the LAVINA leather on the inside. As for B7 and XB7, they almost look identical to the standard M850i. But it will feel different for sure as you sit on it.