Munich
. For over 25 years now, the BMW Individual
Manufaktur customisation facility in Garching near Munich has been
producing exceptionally high-quality equipment features, extraordinary
special-edition models and spectacular one-offs – all sporting a
highly distinctive design and further enriched by the world’s finest,
most precious materials. And the bespoke styling specialists have now
opened up a new dimension in exclusivity by looking beyond our planet
and bringing the night sky into the car. In the BMW Individual M850i
Night Sky (fuel consumption combined: 9.8 – 9.7 l/100 km [28.8 – 29.1
mpg imp]; CO2 emissions combined: 224 – 221 g/km),
applications made from meteoritic material grace selected controls.
Human fascination with the infinite vastness of the universe is also
mirrored in the illuminated constellations of stars on the centre
console and in the surface design of the luxury sports car’s trim
finishers, seat backrests, brake discs and exterior add-on parts,
which draws inspiration from celestial bodies.
The BMW Individual M850i Night Sky will be presented in the run-up to
an exceptionally intense meteor shower expected to take place
overnight from 3 – 4 January 2019. The show of shooting stars will
begin when the Earth briefly passes through the orbit of the asteroid
2003 EH, during which time fragments from the asteroid will enter our
planet’s atmosphere and burn up. On rare occasions, smaller rocks in
space penetrate our planet’s protective shield and fall to Earth as
meteorites. Some of these extra-terrestrial fragments have now been
incorporated into the cabin of the BMW Individual M850i Night Sky.
By employing materials that are literally out of this world, BMW
Individual Manufaktur has succeeded in giving the car unique and
highly original aesthetic appeal and, in the process, pushed back the
boundaries once again of what can be achieved when designing a car
interior. The meteoritic rock adorns the whole of the centre console’s
trim plate, the start/stop button for the V8 engine, the selector
lever for the eight-speed Steptronic transmission and the Touch
Controller for the iDrive system, creating a visual and tactile effect
unparalleled in the automotive sector. Inlays made from meteorite
material have also been incorporated into the door sill finishers,
together with an illuminated model badge. All of which ensures the BMW
Individual M850i Night Sky embodies luxury and exclusivity at an
unprecedented level.
BMW Individual Manufaktur: birthplace of one-off specimens
with a character of their own.
The BMW Individual Manufaktur customisation facility has always
specialised in the production of one-off creations that lend
expression to BMW drivers’ personal sense of style. Its mission is to
turn individual customer requests into reality. The specialists from
BMW Individual work together with the customer to produce bespoke
solutions that range from extraordinary exterior paint finishes to
exotic materials for the interior, special equipment features,
accessories, stitching patterns, engravings and inlays. During the
design and manufacturing process, creativity, attention to detail,
craftsmanship, an uncompromising commitment to quality and a flair for
the exceptional merge together to create truly unique cars.
In its quest for new creative possibilities, new combinations of
materials and new processing techniques, BMW Individual frequently
collaborates with big design names and famous luxury firms from other
sectors. Input from artists and scientists helps to build the know-how
needed to develop new products and exclusive one-offs. In designing
the BMW Individual M850i Night Sky, BMW Individual called on the
expertise of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for
Extraterrestrial Physics, which is also located in Garching.
One of a kind: Widmanstätten-patterned surfaces.
Expanding on the use of meteoritic material for the controls
inside the sports car, the design of many other interior and exterior
elements takes its cues from a structure that only occurs in natural
form on extra-terrestrial objects: the distinctive Widmanstätten
surface pattern of meteorites. The strictly geometric structure, with
its straight lines, has the appearance of ice crystals and becomes
visible when certain types of iron meteorite are polished or brought
into contact with acidic compounds. The structure is the result of the
metal alloy cooling down in an extremely slow process that cannot be
reproduced on Earth, making it an unmistakable signature of
extra-terrestrial material. The unique pattern was first observed back
in the early 19th century by a number of people, including the
Austrian scientist Alois von Beckh Widmanstätten, after whom it is
named.
The singularity of the Widmanstätten structure is symbolic of BMW
Individual’s ongoing pursuit of innovative design solutions never seen
before. Visible in the hand-stitched headliner and on the centre
console’s trim finishers, it has also been milled into the brake discs
of the BMW Individual M850i Night Sky. This distinctive meteorite
pattern can also be found on the exterior mirror caps, the front
splitters for the side air intakes at the front of the car, the centre
mesh plate and the surrounds for the Air Breathers on the front side
panels. These exterior components were all specially developed for the
BMW Individual M850i Night Sky and individually manufactured using a
3D printing process.
The result of motor sport and manufacturing know-how:
innovative, ultralight brake callipers with bionic design, made
using 3D printing methods.
The same innovative additive manufacturing process is employed
for making the brake callipers. Here, 3D printing techniques take
intelligent lightweight design to a new level. The aluminium brake
callipers with bionic design fitted on the BMW Individual M850i Night
Sky were developed by BMW Motorsport and are up to 30 per cent lighter
than components produced using conventional methods. The substantial
reduction in unsprung mass produces a noticeable improvement in
driving dynamics and ride comfort.
The BMW Group harnessed both its motor sport know-how and its
expertise in the application of 3D printing for aluminium components
to help it develop and manufacture the pioneering, bionic-design
brakes. When creating the brake callipers, it was possible to reduce
their mass to the minimum required to meet technical requirements,
meaning that only the material needed for the brakes to work is used.
The resulting form, whose construction mimics that of bones – with an
optimum balance between component rigidity and weight – can only be
produced using an additive manufacturing method and not with
conventional casting techniques. What is more, it was possible to
incorporate the brake fluid channels into the structure of the brake
callipers. Additive manufacturing was again key to producing this
integral design, which has additional benefits for the installation
and rigidity of the lightweight braking system.
Innovations for individuality: leather trim in tri-colour
design and LED-illuminated star constellations on the centre console.
BMW Individual fine-grain Merino leather trim in tri-colour
design and the Opal White/Midnight Blue/Silver colour scheme
constitute another first for interior styling. The Widmanstätten
structure – a defining feature of the BMW Individual M850i Night Sky
interior – is repeated in the stitching pattern for the seat centre sections.
The centre console armrests add another touch of brilliance, their
special design inspired by the glittering heavens at night. LED units
are used to illuminate their surfaces, producing the effect of a
star-studded sky and giving the luxury sports car’s cabin a richly
atmospheric feel. Deep-pile carpeting in Midnight Blue puts the
finishing touches to the stylish interior ambience.
The exterior paintwork of the BMW Individual M850i Night Sky adds to
its captivating aura. The BMW Individual special paint finish deftly
combines two colour tones to achieve a high-impact effect. Black
non-metallic was used as the base colour for the body. A second coat
in San Marino Blue metallic was then painted over it in a graduated
effect from the bottom edge of the body up to the top of the wheel
arches. Finally, three layers of clear coat with varying pigment
particle sizes were applied to give the paint finish a remarkable
sense of depth.
The perfect platform for a mesmerising one-off: the BMW M850i
xDrive Coupe luxury sports car.
The new BMW M850i xDrive Coupe provided the ideal basis for this
sensational one-off model from BMW Individual Manufaktur. With its 390
kW/530 hp V8 engine, track-tuned chassis technology and BMW xDrive
intelligent all-wheel-drive system, the four-seater brings a new brand
of sporting flair, emotional appeal and hallmark BMW driving pleasure
to the luxury segment. Developed alongside both the BMW M8 and the BMW
M8 GTE endurance racing car, the BMW M850i xDrive Coupe is built
around a flawlessly honed overall concept that translates into
captivating performance on the road. Sophisticated chassis systems
enable the coupe to cover an exceptionally broad spectrum between
sportiness and comfort, complementing the car’s dynamic prowess with
outstanding everyday usability and long-distance capability.
The BMW M850i xDrive Coupe’s emotionally engaging body design is a
product of the brand’s new design language, which conveys sporting
appeal, sensual allure and exclusiveness through a core focus on
precision and clarity. Like the optional carbon-fibre roof, a
selection of special details elsewhere on the car serve to optimise
its aerodynamic properties and lower its weight. Together with its low
centre of gravity, long wheelbase and wide tracks, this helps the BMW
M850i xDrive Coupe to blend sports performance and luxurious ride
comfort more cohesively than any other car in its segment.