With the Z4 and the 8 Series Cabriolet now in BMW’s rearview mirror, there’s only one drop-top model left in the lineup. Munich hasn’t committed to adding another convertible alongside the 4 Series (G23), but what if it did? Enter the Vision BMW ALPINA Cabriolet, a purely hypothetical model with a folding roof.
A new digital design exercise from our pal Theottle reimagines the handsome coupe as an equally attractive convertible on the same 8 Series platform as the real car. If BMW were to build something like this, it would sit well above the G23 and aim squarely at the Bentley Continental GTC. With ALPINA branding, it would also command a significant premium over the recently discontinued 8 Series G14.
As is often the case with elegant coupes, the design study provides a strong foundation for a convertible. BMW itself proved this with the Skytop at the 2024 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, when it transformed the 8 Series into a targa-top roadster. This rendering takes a different route, removing the roof entirely to create a luxurious 2+2 grand tourer that would slot neatly into ALPINA’s evolving lineup.
An ALPINA Coupe Or Convertible Will Have To Wait
In the meantime, the BMW-owned ALPINA brand has yet to reveal a production car under its new direction. That won’t happen until 2027, when an upscale version of the 7 Series facelift arrives with V8 and electric powertrains.
A stately coupe or convertible would make a strong statement in the high-end segment, signaling that there’s a new player to watch. When you think about it, a lavish cabriolet like the one imagined in this rendering would make sense. It’s a type of product that’s been absent from the BMW Group lineup since the Rolls-Royce Dawn went out of production a few years ago. The Skytop mentioned earlier doesn’t really count, as it’s limited to 50 units, all of which were quickly sold.
However, neither the coupe nor this imagined convertible is likely to happen on 8 Series underpinnings. The coupe was based on the 8 Series Gran Coupe, and as BMW Group’s Head of Design recently told us, the company would need to start from scratch to bring the Vision concept into production. Still, it’s reasonable to expect that something with more flair than a reworked 7 Series could arrive in the future.
An ALPINA model with a distinct position in the BMW Group hierarchy would support the brand’s elevated status. In the near term, however, its parent company will likely take a more conservative approach, starting with a 7 Series-based flagship before potentially expanding to the X7 (G67) later this decade.
Video: Theottle / YouTube
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
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