The personalisation options of BMW Individual now extend to the 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupé

Nowadays, apart from the styling, equipment and technical specifications of the car we want to buy, many customers look closely at the personalisation potential of the vehicle in question. That is why it is no surprise that many manufacturers now offer packs that give their models a touch of style and individuality, a way to reach a wider audience and set themselves apart from the other models in the segment.

This is not a recent development, though. It goes back a long way, especially if we look at premium brands, which are able to offer unique materials and finishes thanks to their personalisation departments, created specifically to meet the demands of the most discerning customers. Within these departments you will recognise BMW Individual, the personalisation programme of the German brand, which benefits almost all of its models.

The BMW Individual personalisation programme began in 1992, when the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, best known for his work with the house of Chanel, asked for a one-off unit built to his specifications on the BMW 760 iL E32. This particular car had a two-tone bodywork, something very common today, along with other special requests, some of which seem rather eccentric by today’s standards, such as the installation of a fax machine in the front glovebox.

Thanks to Karl Lagerfeld’s commission, the personalisation department now known around the world as BMW Individual was set in motion, and today it is able to handle requests from dealerships across the globe. The department offers more than 150 colours from BMW for its various models, as well as countless interior personalisation options covering materials and equipment. Since it is a personalisation department, it can also create any colour and meet any equipment request the customer wants, provided two rules are met: that it complies with BMW’s quality standard and that it does not compromise safety.

As I mentioned at the beginning, almost the entire BMW range can benefit from the work of BMW Individual, although until now it did not extend to the 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupé, models that will now also be eligible to mark the 30th anniversary of BMW Individual. Buyers of these models can now choose from more than 120 legendary BMW paints, such as the Dakar yellow used on the 1992 BMW M3 E36 or the Fire orange of the 2010 M3 GTS.

The paint classification at BMW starts with solid paints, costing between 0 and 306 euros, typically those included as standard, with white at the top and black or red on some models. The next step up is metallic paints, costing between 659 and 824 euros, which appear on the vehicle’s option list and are ready to be applied on the same production line. Within the option list, some models offer special paints from BMW Individual, priced between 1,129 and 2,211 euros, which are integrated into the assembly line and do not add to the delivery time. For the 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupé, the BMW Individual Strom Bay metallic and Frozen Pure Grey metallic paints have been added.

The next step up means entering fully into the BMW Individual Manufaktur programme, provided our 1 Series or 2 Series Gran Coupé has the M trim and has passed through the workshop, at prices ranging from 2,241 to 3,547 euros. Here we can choose from the extensive range of colours catalogued by BMW because they have been used at some point in the brand’s history, as well as any colour we request, as long as it is feasible. If these more specific colours are chosen, the bodywork is taken off the assembly line and sent to BMW Individual, where the colour is applied in a more craft-based way and goes through a thorough quality check before returning to the assembly line to continue its journey. Consequently, the production period is extended and delivery is delayed, which in the case of the 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupé can reach 10 weeks.

Technical specifications of the cars in this article

SedanBMW Serie 218 versions · from 38,650 €

HatchbackBMW Serie 15 versions · from 35,150 €