The Alpina XB7 Manufaktur weighs around 3,000 kg and has a top speed of 290 km/h.

You could call the Alpina XB7 a necessary evil. This leather-clad, rocket-powered cargo container isn’t exactly the Alpina enthusiast’s dream car, but it’s the car that the wealthy actually buy. There’s no M version of the BMW X7, so the Alpina XB7 is the top model. In fact, in the U.S. you can simply pick up an XB7 from a BMW dealer. For enthusiasts, Alpina now has the XB7 Manufaktur.

It sounds like the name of an extra special edition, but it’s not. The Alpina XB7 Manufaktur is the entry-level XB7. Alpina recently did the same thing with the Alpina B3 GT: it replaced the regular B3. Alpina doesn’t say so itself, but it seems like this will also be a similar swan song. All models currently built by Alpina will be phased out without a successor. This has already happened with the Alpina B5 and Alpina B7. So the brand is dying.

Why isn’t the Alpina XB7 Manufaktur called a GT?

Now Alpina 23-inch wheels are now standard on the Alpina XB7 Manufaktur, and you can no longer order the original 21-inch wheels.

In this case, the wheels have a high-gloss aluminum finish. The famous Alpina stripe – called Dekoset – is available in silver or black. In both cases at no extra charge. Of course, it is also possible without the stripe. Then Alpina tints the badges on the spot. So if you opt for the black stripes, you also get black badges, black window frames and a black grille.

There are also new colours. The standard BMW X7 colours are available, of course. You can also choose from the paint finishes from the BMW Individual programme (Tanzanite Blue and Dravite Grey). Then there are the traditional Alpina blue or green. There are five new factory-specific colours: Orinico, Malachitgrün II, Wildberry, Jerezschwarz and Gunmetal II.

26,000 euros for leather interior

Of course, you can also go either way with the interior design with the Alpina XB7 Manufaktur. You now get full Merino leather as standard, and you can optionally opt for full Merino leather. There is no Vernasca chicken skin for this elegant truck. If you want Lavalina leather, you can do so for 26,500 euros. Then you get the leather that Rolls-Royce also uses in its products. You shouldn’t think of the Alpina XB7 as an expensive BMW, but rather as a cheap alternative to the Cullinan.

Technically, everything remains the same. The XB7 Manufaktur has a 4.4-liter V8 engine based on the S63B44. In this case, it produces 621 hp and 800 Nm. This means that the 2,770 kg giant accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. The acceleration from 100 to 200 km/h takes 10.6 seconds; not bad for such a massive vehicle. If there is enough space on the highway, you can reach 290 km/h. Fun fact: the American XB7 is slightly faster thanks to more power (640 hp) and more torque (840 Nm).

The Alpina XB7 is a huge success for Alpina. Since 2020, Buchloe has already sold 2,880 examples. Around 550 of them are on the road in Europe. The price in Germany is 190,500 euros; throw a few hundred dollars on top for the privilege of being able to install yellow plates on it.