BMW’s first neue Alpina 7 Series has already topped 186mph+, and this is it

This is your first look at BMW Alpina’s new four-door luxury saloon, and it looks awfully like a camouflaged BMW 7 Series. Because it is. And it’s already topped 186mph. Welcome to Alpina’s ‘Speed, not Sport’ era.

That’s the new mantra, by the way. “Speed has always been baked into the Alpina brand’s DNA,” said Alpina VP Oliver Viellechner. “However, we are not just interested in top speed alone.

“What matters is how natural, stable and confident it feels to drive at that speed,” he added. A way of saying Neue Alpina won’t just be a BMW M car with a brilliant set of multi-spoke wheels.

Speaking of which, this car comes with just such a set, measuring 20in and wrapped in “specific tyres” that feature an additional foam layer to allow not only that 186mph+ top speed, but also extra comfort.

There’s a V8 on board too – likely BMW’s 4.4-litre – in non-hybrid guise, at least according to what Viellechner told TopGear.com earlier this year. “A combustion engine and also a V8 is a core pillar of our offering,” he told TG. “A pure V8 without a plug.”

He also noted how “the engine of an Alpina can’t be the same as the engine in a base model 7 Series”. Which is why today we learn the V8 lurking underneath this camo’d Alpina’s bonnet has been treated to “special engine management calibration” and “accelerator pedal mapping”.

That’s so it can deliver top speed “without making the car feel aggressive”, and that its herculean torque can be deployed across the entire rev range. The auto ‘box and suspension have been tweaked for comfort too, there’s more aero on the body, and four exhaust pipes appear for a “rich, deep sound”.

Want the full debrief on Alpina’s next steps and that wonderful concept car? Hit the blue bits in that sentence to find out.