Making its world premiere at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is the new Bovensiepen Zagato coachbuilt special
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- Alpina’s founders return with a luxury GT under the Bovensiepen name after BMW acquisition.
- Coachbuilt GT combines carbon fiber body with Bavarian performance and Italian design heritage.
- Deliveries of the M4-based model start late Q2 2026 with pricing details due later this year.
For a brief moment, when we first saw the profile picture of this new creation, we weren’t entirely sure what we were looking at. A heavily reworked Mustang? A modern BMW 8-Series Coupe with a coachbuilt twist? Turns out, it’s neither. What you’re actually seeing is the Bovensiepen Zagato, a coachbuilt GT based on the BMW M4 Coupe, making its world premiere at the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza this weekend.
More: BMW Built This Shooting Brake GT Just To Taunt US Buyers
If the name Bovensiepen rings a bell, it should – at least if you’re a BMW fan. The family behind it are the founders of Alpina, the renowned performance marque that BMW fully acquired in 2022. Apparently, the Buchloe-based clan couldn’t quite walk away from the business of building fast, luxurious cars. So, under their own family name, they’ve launched a new brand with the goal of becoming a “manufacturer of exceptional automobiles that embody the concept of finedriving.” No pressure.
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Their first creation is this coachbuilt GT coupe you see here, crafted in collaboration with none other than legendary Italian design house Zagato. That pairing alone already feels like a concept sketch brought to life.
“It was a team effort driven by the excitement of the project, the idea of launching the first car of a new luxurious brand, and the fact that we were bringing together the DNA of two families… When you combine two DNAs, the result should be a stronger DNA,” says Andrea Zagato, third-generation President of Zagato.
A Familiar Platform in Disguise
The Bovensiepen Zagato wears its double-bubble roof with pride, one of Zagato’s most famed styling cues. Beyond that, it’s tough to spot any shared panels with the M4 donor car. The design feels like a blend of influences, with a front and rear end that echo some cues from the now-defunct i8, combined with subtle Alpina-like elements. Look closely at the taillights and you’ll see a thin lighting signature that loosely channels Alpina’s familiar striping. The 20-inch wheels also seem to nod to that lineage.
Overall, the look is clean, but the front end especially comes off as a bit anonymous. Elegeant, sure, but not exactly memorable. Still, they got rid of the M4’s double-coffin grille, so let’s call that a win.
The entire body is constructed almost entirely from carbon fiber, which helps offset some of the added coachwork and customization. Even so, the final curb weight tips the scales at 1,895 kg (4,178 lbs), a fair bit up from the base M4’s 1,775 kg (3,913 lbs).
Inside the Bubble
Step inside, and the core layout of the M4 is present, but updated with a mix of bespoke materials and colors. The example shown features a deep blue interior, but customization is the name of the game here. Bovensiepen says buyers can choose from 16 standard leather colors, 45 Alcantara shades, and even more options via a full bespoke program.
Power, with Extra Flavor
Curiously, Bovensiepen hasn’t disclosed which version of the M4 the car is based on, and they haven’t confirmed whether buyers will get a choice between manual or automatic, or if it’s rear- or all-wheel drive.
What we do know is the engine is the M4’s 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, heavily reworked to deliver 611 hp (449 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque. That’s a significant bump over the standard M4’s 480 hp and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft). Despite being 120 kg (265 lbs) heavier than the base M4, the Bovensiepen GT manages a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) sprint in just 3.3 seconds and reaches a top speed “beyond 300 km/h” (186 mph), according to its makers.
Also: New B8 GT Is Alpina’s Most Powerful Car Ever And Last One Before BMW Takes Over
There’s also a titanium Akrapovic exhaust that weighs just 22 kg (49 lbs), about 40 percent lighter than a conventional setup. Suspension is handled by specially developed Damptronic dampers from Bilstein, tuned specifically for what Bovensiepen calls the “Gran Turismo” driving experience. Drivers can toggle between Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus modes.
When Can I Buy It?
Well, truth be told, for most of us at least, the answer is: you can’t. After its debut at Villa d’Este, Bovensiepen plans to move ahead with production plans, with first deliveries expected by the end of Q2 2026. Pricing and production numbers will be revealed in Q4 of 2025, but it’s safe to assume both will be appropriately rarefied.
