Alpina spent decades turning BMWs into luxurious, powerful alternatives to their M-badged counterparts. The B10 Bi-Turbo, the Roadster V8, and so many other excellent vehicles. Now, Alpina is officially part of the BMW Group, which means we won’t see any of those Buchloe-tinged models ever again.

But what if, before officially joining the BMW Group, Alpina had stepped outside its comfort zone and set its sights on something a little less performance-oriented? What if it had gotten its hands on a Volkswagen New Beetle?

As silly as it sounds, Abimelec Design's Alpina-fied Beetle rendering actually looks fantastic. The artist posted the fictional Bug on his Instagram page—he calls it the B1 Turbo—complete with a deep blue paint job, classic Alpina multi-spoke wheels, and iconic pinstriping.

Like most Alpina makeovers, the changes are subtle—but they work. Motor1 reached out to Abimelec via email to learn more about the project.

His idea came from an in-person experience with arguably one of the coolest Beetles of all time: the RSi. He said that a friend who owns one in Mexico City gave him the chance to spend time with the car during a visit last year.

While the widebody styling is what caught his attention first, something else impressed him: the fancier interior. He tells Motor1:

'I remember the main thing that stuck out to me, besides the body width, was how upscale the interior was compared to the normal Beetle.

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