For the past 60-ish years, enthusiasts have known Alpina as the German tuner firm that puts its own spin on BMWs, delivering a distinct driving experience from the standard cars and the company’s fiery M division. For decades, Alpina operated separately from BMW, getting cars from the factory to modify and resell as their own.
Then, in 2022, something happened. BMW acquired Alpina and announced plans to bring the tuner firm in-house and operate it as another arm of the BMW Group conglomerate. Since the announcement, though, Alpina has been churning out modified BMWs all the same, and has yet to reveal any new models. The newly formed business, called BMW Alpina, revealed a new logo last month, and now, it’s revealing the final “old” Alpina before the company switches to in-house BMW-developed models.
That car, called the XB7 Manufaktur, is limited to just 120 units in North America, and it gets a handful of very tasteful upgrades to separate it from the normal XB7. With a starting MSRP of over $180,000, it’s also now the most expensive BMW on sale today.
According to BMW, these 120 Manufaktur models will be the final XB7s built before the model is discontinued. To justify the $20,000-plus jump in price, there are a few goodies included as standard that are either options or not available at all on the standard version.
Inside, you’ll find Tartufo Full Merino leather paired with walnut trim, and front headrests embroidered with green and blue Alpina script. The second-row captain’s chairs, tow hitch receiver, and Bowers & Wilkins sound system, which are usually $850, $550, and $3,400 options, respectively, are included as standard.
Rounding off the custom touches are a pair of custom travel bags made from leather and trimmed with the same blue and green Alpina script. There’s also a plaque that reads “1 of 120” on the center console, in case you need to be reminded that you paid more money for your XB7 than the owner of the XB7 sitting at the other end of the country club parking lot.
Buyers will only have two choices of color: Frozen Alpina Green or Frozen Alpina Blue. In the world of BMW, “Frozen” translates to matte. While these colors were available for normal XB7 buyers, neither was available in matte form until now, according to the brand. Alpina’s signature 23-inch, 20-spoke alloy wheels are, of course, standard as well. And for the first time, the XB7 also gets Alpina’s signature graphics package (though, going by the photos, it’ll be pretty tough to see unless you really look for it).
As for the powertrain, it’s unchanged over the standard XB7. The Manufaktur cars get the same 631 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 paired to a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, an eight-speed torque converter automatic, and all-wheel drive. The air suspension and active anti-roll bars are present and accounted for, too.
No matter how you feel about the looks, I’ll say these are absolutely excellent SUVs to drive, delivering weirdly good handling while also making for an excellent race car tow-hauler. If I wanted to stunt on everyone at my local HPDE event, this is the SUV I’d use to trailer in my track car with.
Because every option is included as standard in the XB7 Manufaktur, there are no options available on the car. With destination included, the price is a cool $181,550. That makes it about $20,000 more than the next most expensive BMW, the XM, but still way cheaper than true exotics like the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, and Aston Martin DBX707.
Deliveries for the XB7 Manufaktur are expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year, so if you want one, I recommend heading down to your local BMW dealer and putting your name down before those 120 build slots dry up. For the true Alpina diehards, this is it.
Top graphic image: BMW
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