Alpina's First EV Will Be Based On The BMW i7, And Oh Yeah Baby, It'll Come In Brown

Just a few days ago we showed you spy photos of the new Alpina B7, which will be the first Alpina to come out since BMW took over full control of the brand. Seeing that prototype's quad exhaust tips and hearing it rocket around the Nürburgring confirm that, like all previous B7s, the new one will be powered by a V8 engine. A couple days after those shots were taken, BMW announced that the B7 hit 186 mph in testing, and that may not even be the top speed.

If you want your Alpina to be even stealthier, though, you're in luck. A new batch of spy shots have captured Alpina's first electric car, based on the i7 version of the facelifted 7 Series. Will it be called iB7? Bi7? Just Alpina i7? We've really got no idea. What we do know is that it will be available in at least one excellent brown color, as a tiny bit of bodywork can be seen peeking through the camouflage. Who doesn't love brown?

Aside from this prototype's brown paint and lack of exhaust tips, it looks exactly the same as the V8-powered B7 that was previously spotted it. Both Alpinas have the same front grille, which has the upper two-thirds blank and horizontal strakes in the lower third, and the same chin spoiler and lower bumper intake. The wheels are also the same (and now we know for sure that Alpina's signature multispoke design will be offered), and this electric prototype has the same warm amber running light color that will be a new Alpina hallmark.

The electric B7 will probably use the i7 M70's 671-hp dual-motor setup as its basis, but perhaps with even more power — maybe this will be the first Alpina to break the 700-horsepower mark. It'll get the same Alpina-specific chassis tuning as the gas B7, along with unique interior trimmings and options. We already know BMW is working on an Alpina version of the next-gen X7, and since that new SUV is getting its first electric variant, I wouldn't be surprised if there's an Alpina version of the X7 EV, too.