Photo: BMW
In production since 2014 in Leipzig, the i8 was a first for BMW. Facelifted in 2018 and joined by the i8 Spyder, the plug-in hybrid sports car could’ve had a four-cylinder turbo thanks to Alpina.
The well-known tuner modified the rear subframe to accommodate the 2.0-liter engine into the i8, and only one example of the breed was ever finished. BMW Blog reports the engineers managed to boost the combined output to 460 horsepower, 100 more than the stock model.
“The car was painted in black with Alpina wheels, had a modified front-end with a sporty spoiler, and a racing wing in the back.” Wider hips also translated to a more aggressive stance, but BMW didn’t approve of these upgrades. In other words, the project came to a grinding halt.
Andreas Bovensiepen, the chief executive officer at Alpina, has a few pictures of the Alpina i8 on this phone. But for personal reasons and because of the BMW overlords, BMW Blog couldn’t get the photographs depicting the one-off machine. With the reveal of the M Vision Next concept, it’s also likely that we’ll never ever set eyes upon the go-faster model.
There are plans to put the M Vision Next into production in 2023 as a replacement for the i8, not a direct successor. The concept combines a plug-in hybrid system with a 2.0-liter turbo and two electric motors, delivering 600 horsepower in total. Zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) is quoted in three seconds flat, and top speed is estimated at 300 km/h (186 mph).
For reference, the i8 mixes the suck-squeeze-bang-blow of the B38 three-cylinder turbo with a synchronous electric motor. Artificial induction and exhaust noise make up for the lack of displacement and small number of cylinders, cutting the i8 short of being considered a supercar.
Over in the United States, the 369-horsepower sports car starts at $147,500 excluding destination charge for the coupe. The i8 Roadster is a bit pricier, sharing the 11.6-kWh battery with the fixed-head coupe.
“The car was painted in black with Alpina wheels, had a modified front-end with a sporty spoiler, and a racing wing in the back.” Wider hips also translated to a more aggressive stance, but BMW didn’t approve of these upgrades. In other words, the project came to a grinding halt.
Andreas Bovensiepen, the chief executive officer at Alpina, has a few pictures of the Alpina i8 on this phone. But for personal reasons and because of the BMW overlords, BMW Blog couldn’t get the photographs depicting the one-off machine. With the reveal of the M Vision Next concept, it’s also likely that we’ll never ever set eyes upon the go-faster model.
There are plans to put the M Vision Next into production in 2023 as a replacement for the i8, not a direct successor. The concept combines a plug-in hybrid system with a 2.0-liter turbo and two electric motors, delivering 600 horsepower in total. Zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) is quoted in three seconds flat, and top speed is estimated at 300 km/h (186 mph).
For reference, the i8 mixes the suck-squeeze-bang-blow of the B38 three-cylinder turbo with a synchronous electric motor. Artificial induction and exhaust noise make up for the lack of displacement and small number of cylinders, cutting the i8 short of being considered a supercar.
Over in the United States, the 369-horsepower sports car starts at $147,500 excluding destination charge for the coupe. The i8 Roadster is a bit pricier, sharing the 11.6-kWh battery with the fixed-head coupe.
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