ALPINA has a knack for making the BMWs that BMW should have made but didn’t. The current B3 Touring and XD3 are examples of go-fast BMWs that didn’t exist until the wonderful madmen at ALPINA thought them up. I think it’s time for those same wonderful madmen get to work on a new project, a new BMW, one they’ve never worked on before. The BMW i8.
The i8 is a perfect car for ALPINA to sink its teeth into (though, I’m not sure what it would called – iB8 or Bi8?). It’s got everything, it’s fast, great looking, luxurious and economical. ALPINA also has all of the tools to make one of the best sports cars on the road today even better. Knowing the kind of work ALPINA does, I’m assuming it’d keep a similar powertrain, but either up the power on the 1.5 liter three-cylinder or swap it for a BMW 2.0 liter, if the packaging allows. That uprated engine would then still be mated to its electric motors and six-speed auto, but ALPINA would most likely up the output of those motors as well. Because, well, ALPINA.
Pretty much any power boost at all would send the i8 into supercar performance, as it’s already so light and fast. So an ALPINA tuned i8 would be stupid fast. But in tradition ALPINA fashion, it wouldn’t just be power upgrades, oh no, it would get quite a bit more. The exterior would receive a substantial overhaul, with the typical ALPINA stripey bits and small aero tweaks. It would also get the gorgeous 20” ALPINA wheels, which would look incredible on the i8. There’d also probably be suspension upgrades, as ALPINA usually likes to upgrade the shocks, giving its cars a distinctly comfortable, yet sporty ride.
The interior would get the usual treatment as well. The i8’s interior is already a fabulous place to be, but the addition of LAVALINA leather and ALPINA’s hand stitched trim, it would look even better. ALPINA interiors have always been a step up from BMW interiors, which is saying a lot as BMW interiors aren’t exactly Soviet prison cells. Also, I think ALPINA’s blue and green color scheme would work really well with the futuristic and eco-minded interior of the i8. I think it would be a genuinely beautiful interior, one to rival the best in the business.
So in traditional ALPINA fashion, such an i8 would a big step up over the original car. It would be more comfortable, faster and maybe even better looking than the original. ALPINA is known for making certain BMWs that BMW should have made in the first place, so it’s not out of the question to think that an ALPINA tuned i8 could exist in the future. Here’s to hoping that such a car comes because the existence of an ALPINA tuned i8 would make the world a better place, no matter what we call it.
