BMW i and Garage Italia Customs to present the BMW i3 and the BMW i8 Garage Italia CrossFade in Paris.

Munich. A collaboration between BMW Group Design and
Garage Italia Customs has produced an innovative colour and material
concept of two concept cars based on current BMW i models. The
BMW i3 Garage Italia CrossFade and the BMW i8 Garage Italia CrossFade
will be presented on 30 September 2016 at the start of the Mondial de
l’Automobile 2016 in Paris. The premiere in the French capital will
also serve as an outlook on edition models of the BMW i3 and the BMW
i8. These models, which both feature an exterior design derived from
the concept cars, will become available at the beginning of 2017.

The common feature of the two concept cars is a surface structure
that emphasises the groundbreaking design and the innovative character
of the models BMW i3 and BMW i8 in a fascinating way. The focus here
is on a specific colour design that was developed on the basis of a
common painting genre during the late 19th and early 20th century and
which provides for a particularly expressive appearance. “Lapo Elkann
is a pioneer in linking the disciplines of fashion, automobile and
design. As a designer, I find this comprehensive approach particularly
exciting,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design. “With
BMW i, we have been successful in overcoming previous restrictions in
automotive design through the use of entirely new materials. So the
progressive expressiveness of the Garage Italia CrossFade
Edition
is perfectly in keeping with the BMW i3 and the BMW i8.”

In June 2016, Garage Italia Customs had already presented the BMW i8
Futurism Edition. This vehicle also featured a body surface concept
that was inspired by the art of painting. The design of the BMW i8
Futurism Edition, which was created on the occasion of the 50th
anniversary of BMW Italia, is based on the painting “Lampada ad Arco”
by the futuristic artist Giacomo Balla. “Technological development and
constant search for innovation are common key values to both Garage
Italia Customs and BMW,” adds Lapo Elkann, Chairman and Founder of
Garage Italia Customs. “BMW i automobiles provide our designers with
ideal opportunities for an artistic exploration of the future of
mobility. The CrossFade project was a great opportunity to create
something beyond the traditional idea of car painting, generating
amazing effects with a unique geometrical pattern.”

The design of the concept cars now being shown in Paris was inspired
by optical colour mixing, a technique already used in Pointillism of
the late 19th century. This painting technique involves the creation
of motifs using small and evenly distributed dashes of colour. Because
the neighbouring colours are not intermixed, but only blend together
in the perception of the viewer, a particularly intensive radiance is
created. The selective variation of size and spacing of the individual
dashes permits the creation of both precise and harmonious colour gradients.

On the body surface of the BMW i8 Garage Italia CrossFade,
the accurately defined colour changes between Protonic Blue metallic
and Protonic Dark Silver metallic are used to intensively underscore
the lines and surface contours. Moreover, the applied dashes of paint
are triangular. Resulting from this geometrical shape, both the
overall impression as well as the plug-in hybrid sports car’s dynamics
already symbolised in the design are accentuated even further. The
colour design was realised using a complex painting process in which
the car finished in Protonic Blue metallic was initially covered with
a stencil film. In this way, it was possible to create the desired
geometrical pattern with exceptionally high precision when the second
layer of paint in Protonic Dark Silver metallic was finally applied.
Moreover, the interior follows the BMW i8 Garage Italia
CrossFade
’s exterior design with the smooth transition from the
dark silver of the front end of the car to the pure blue of the rear
end printed on Alcantara textile that now covers the central tunnel,
the side panels and the headliner. The surface structure of the
interior and the seats in Foglizzo leather, and Protonic Blue and
perforated Alcantara is effectively accentuated by the contrasting colours.

In the case of the BMW i3 Garage Italia CrossFade, the colour
transition on the front end and the side panels flows in a vertical
direction. The amount of blue decreases as it rises upwards to merge
with the black roof and bonnet. The smooth transition is created by a
transparent foiling with imprinted circular dashes of colour that
symbolise the driving pleasure offered by the electrically powered
five door car and become larger with increasing height. The
distinctive colour design is also to be found in the interior, where
high-quality textile and Alcantara surfaces additionally emphasise the
premium character of the car. Base colour in each case is Protonic
Blue, which is now also optionally available for the BMW i3 and
exclusively in conjunction with the 94 Ah high-voltage battery.