Vision BMW ALPINA is the BMW Group car that makes my usual scepticism put down its drink. BMW design of the last few decades has been hit and miss, mostly miss. Grilles are now so huge that can be seen from space which work on Cadillac, but makes a BMW look naff. the Vision is, well, a vision. One of gorgeousness, luxury, and elegance that overdoes things just enough, then stops. Shown at the 2026 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, it is a one-off design study for the newly folded-in BMW ALPINA brand, and yes, this is the BMW I would buy if money was no issue.
That reaction is not only about speed, although a V8 and a proper ALPINA exhaust note do help. The Vision BMW ALPINA has the rare confidence to be expensive without bellowing about it. It is long, low and wide, with a shark nose, a raked coupe roofline has a side profile that suggests a continent could be crossed in comfort and dignity. It is not a Rolls-Royce because BMW already has one of those, but it is a big step up on BMW’s usual effort.
BMW Vision is 5,200 mm long, immense for a GT. The front begs for attention as it leans forward to frame the kidney shape. That six-degree speed line rises from the lower front corner, runs through the side and wraps around the rear without turning into a styling tantrum.
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Vision BMW ALPINA concept study, outside and in.
ALPINA’s old deco-line habit has been treated with real care. The stripes are painted under the clear coat rather than slapped on like a P plate, while the inner grille surfaces carry a scaled graphic that only reveals itself on a closer look. The warm white lighting is meant to recall first light over the Bavarian Alps, but prosaic nonsense aside, it looks jolly interesting.
The wheels are another lovely act of overt restraint. ALPINA’s 20-spoke design has been part of the furniture since 1971, but here it sits on 22-inch fronts and 23-inch rears. The four exhaust pipes stay too. So does the ALPINA name across the lower front apron, now machined and polished rather than a tatty decal.
The cabin is where the admiration becomes full on amaze and delight. Full-grain leather from the Alpine region, dark upper surfaces, lighter lower surfaces and stitching drawn from the deco-lines give it a lounge quality without making it a sad pastiche. The six-degree line carries through the interior, so the outside idea flows into the cabin.
There is a bit of fun in the rear console, the good kind. A glass water bottle sits with BMW ALPINA crystal glasses, which rise on a self-deploying mechanism and carry 20 engraved deco-lines. Concealed magnets and soft lighting are involved. It is completely unnecessary, which is precisely why I simply must have it.
The lines inside and out are delicious, but surely the best line in the whole project is Burkard Bovensiepen’s idea that a comfortable driver is a faster driver. ALPINA understood long before the current touchscreen circus. Comfort+ survives in the settings, sitting beyond the normal BMW comfort calibration, while Speed mode deepens the familiar blue and green across BMW Panoramic Vision.
That is why the Vision BMW ALPINA feels more sexy and seductive than angry and brutish. It remembers that speed without calm is just work. The coming production BMW ALPINA model, due next year and inspired by the 7 Series, will have plenty to live up to. If it carries even half of this car’s polish, I may have to start behaving like a tosser with money. Dreadful thought.
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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