New BMW Alpina B7 Will Have A Great-Sounding V8

One of the best concept cars of this year was the Vision BMW Alpina, a stunning two-door coupe that previews the direction the Alpina brand is going now that it's fully under BMW's control. Our spies have now caught the first production car that will be the fruit of that labor: The new BMW Alpina B7, based on the facelifted 7 Series.

This will be the fourth generation of 7 Series to have an Alpina version that was sold in the U.S., and the first time this current G70 model is getting the Alpina treatment. BMW recently showed off the M760, which has a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 making around 570 horsepower, and the B7 should share that same powertrain just with even more power — the last B7 had 600 hp. The Vision concept had a real V8 in it that made very good noises from its lovely quad exhaust, and this B7 prototype has the same exhaust, which is a good sign. 

I don't need that as a sign to know it sounds good, though. These spy shots were taken at the Nürburgring, and as you can hear from the clip above, this B7 prototype sounds quite good itself. 

In addition to the quad exhaust, this prototype has a unique front grille with horizontal lower slats, a larger and wider lower bumper intake, and a prominent chin splitter, an Alpina hallmark. There's a little spoiler on the trunk lid, and the rear diffuser is new. New BMW M cars like the M350 and iX4 M60 feature yellow LED running lights, and it seems like the Alpina models will have a different amber shade, like the Vision concept. The big wheels are a design we haven't seen before, but I don't think they'll be the final ones. BMW has already said Alpina will stick with its classic multispoke designs.

Expect the B7 to get its own suspension and chassis tuning that give it a more comfortable, grown-up vibe compared to M cars, focused on grand touring performance. There will surely be Alpina-specific paint colors (the brand is known for its emerald greens and sapphire blues) and exterior graphics packages, while the interior will have crystal controls, Alpina's signature blue and green stitching and other patterns, special badging and other touches.

It shouldn't be long before the new Alpina B7 gets revealed and goes on sale, and it will be closely followed (or maybe even preceded) by the Alpina XB7 version of the next-gen X7 that recently got spotted.