Alpina makes BMWs go faster. They’re really good at it too. In the past, this wasn’t so hard. All they needed to do was have a good look under the hood and slap some stickers on BMW’s sedans, coupes and wagons. But BMW is making big SUVs like the X7 now, and while that big boy is no slouch, Alpina’s got some ideas for it and once they’re done, it’ll likely be coming for us in America too.
Motor1 reports that a version of Alpina’s special X7, dubbed the XB7, could be available on the American market shortly after the European-market version debuts next year.
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While Europe’s version (perhaps called the XD7) will likely have a diesel engine like Alpina’s other modified BMW SUVs, the quad-turbo XD3 and XD4, that could make it the most powerful SUV on the market with torque figures possibly cresting 560 lb-ft, Americans will likely find a variant of the 4.4 liter V8 that currently powers the Alpina B7 under the hood, the firm’s only car currently on offer on this side of the Atlantic.
Alpina has offered only a few of their models in the United States thus far. In addition to the 600 HP B7, a thoroughly breathed-on performance version of the 7 Series, Americans have only been able to buy Alpina’s version of the Z8 and the B6, a modified 6 Series GranCoupe.
Abroad, things have been different. The company has a long tradition of creating fast versions of BMWs with both gas and diesel motors that are designed for driving quickly on the street, not the track. They’ll even build you a quick 3 Series wagon as long as you’re on the right continent.
The XD7 seems like a good bet for the American market, where it could compete with the AMG GLS, the LWB Range Rover, and other billionaire barges. My hope is that a successful XD7 leads the Alpina to consider selling more BMW variants over here. We only get the biggest and brashest Alpinas over here right now, but with greater volume could come greater variety. That’s how that proverb goes, right?
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