Currently reading: Alpina B8 GT revealed as firm's final and most powerful car

Overhauled BMW 8 Series with 625bhp V8 is final Alpina model before BMW takes full ownership of the brand

Alpina has revealed the B8 GT, understood to be its final model as an independent entity.

The company formally known as Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH + Co KG will cease to exist after 31 December 2025, with ownership of the Alpina brand transferring to BMW.

The B8 GT is therefore the final 'proper' Alpina, following the similarly conceived B3 GT and B4 GT – with insiders referring to the trio as the 'last of the last'.

Based on the BMW 8 Series, it represents the culmination of the brand’s engineering capabilities, packing the most powerful engine it has ever fitted in a production car.

Its 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 (shared with the B5 GT) is fettled to put out 625bhp and 627lb ft, yielding a 0-62mph sprint time of just 3.3sec. It will hit 124mph just 7.2sec later and go on to a top speed of 205mph.

Alpina said it has also modified the 8 Series’ four-wheel drive system and electronic differential for greater agility, sending a greater share of the engine’s power to the rear wheels.

A new bulkhead strut is said to boost front-end feel and responsiveness and the suspension is tauter for improved body control at higher speeds.

Alpina B8 GT engine bay

As well as the modifications under the skin, the B8 GT brings a number of aesthetic changes, with carbonfibre trim elements around the car and a new set of canards flanking the front splitter.

The B8 GT rides on Alpina’s signature 21in wheels shod in Alpine-specific Pirelli P Zero tyres, measuring 245mm wide up front and 285mm wide at the rear.

Inside, there are a number of references to Alpine founder Burkard Bovensiepen: his signature is embroidered into the front bucket seats and features along the door sills with backlighting. 

The interior is upholstered primarily in Merino leather, while Alcantara features along the seat centres and headlining. 

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Just 99 examples of the B8 GT will ever be built, each priced from €225,000 (£190,000). That makes it the rarest and most expensive of the firm’s final three cars.

Alpina B8 GT – rear

Deliveries are earmarked to begin in July 2025 and production is expected to end before winter.

Thereafter, Alpina will become a sub-brand of BMW in the same sense as its M motorsport division.

Former Polestar designer Maximilian Missoni was named the new design boss of Alpina in September 2024.

BMW has yet to clarify what form future Alpinas will take, whether they be highly modified BMWs (as they are today), bespoke models or simply variants of mainstream models.

Charlie Martin

Charlie Martin Autocar
Title: Staff Writer

As part of Autocar’s news desk, Charlie plays a key role in the title’s coverage of new car launches and industry events. He’s also a regular contributor to its social media channels, providing videos for Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and Twitter.

Charlie joined Autocar in July 2022 after a nine-month stint as an apprentice with sister publication What Car?, during which he acquired his gold-standard NCTJ diploma with the Press Association.

Charlie is the proud owner of a Fiat Panda 100HP, which he swears to be the best car in the world. Until it breaks.

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volvocu 21 January 2025

What a sad day for automotive history...Alpina will undoubtedly no longer be producing the magnificent machines that they have been creating for decades under a giant corporation. I envy the lucky drivers who have had the chance to own an Alpina

00se7en 17 January 2025

Hopefully don't devalue the brand too much, much as nearly every new Mercedes is an 'AMG line'. 

jason_recliner 17 January 2025
What a lovely way to visit some wineries.