The New York International Auto Show is open to the public this week, and already BMW fans have been pouring into the show. If have a chance to go, you’ll find that BMW has injected some fresh style from the BMW Individual range into their NYIAS display.
While the conventional range (part of BMW’s massive model offensive) is new and M-infused, with models like the X3 M40i and the first-shown-in-North-America X4 M40i, the stand offers some much-needed colorization in the form of an Estoril Blue X1—and of course the Galvanic Yellow X2.
Sport meets sophistication in the All-New BMW #X4 #M40i. See it now at the @NYAutoShow. https://t.co/LO8KjMNlc5 #NYIAS pic.twitter.com/GeOvlLbljw
—BMW USA (@BMWUSA) March 29, 2018
Interestingly, the BMW i Performance side of the booth features a more standard array of modern colors—gray, black, and tan—which serve to normalize the increasingly popular electrified range. But even on the electrified side, cars like the stunning new i8 roadster and refreshed i3S add a zing of color to the stand.
But more than anywhere else, the BMW M range is a landmark moment in BMW stand colors—including some hues borrowed from surprising sources. The familiar M6 Gran Coupé appears in British Racing Green, and as an interesting footnote in BMW culture, the F80 M3 (equipped with the Competition Package) appears in a surprisingly pastel Dakar II—almost identical to the single-stage Dakar Yellow of the E36 M3, but with the added reflectivity of clear coat.
The F80 BMW M3 is finished in Dakar II.
Purple Silk showcases the lines of the F90 M5 surprisingly well, thanks to its matte finish.
Perhaps most interesting of all is the new F90 M5 making its appearance in a matte-finish Purple Silk with black wheels—only to have its shine stolen (so to speak) by the biggest conversation-starter on the show floor: an M550i xDrive finished in what the nameplate calls Ferrarirot. Translating that shouldn’t be too difficult; you can tell that this color is Ferrari Red from a mile away.
This M550i is finished in a color called Ferrarirot.
Oh, and there’s one more thing. Perched above that M5 is something else that might be interesting: BMW USA Classic’s legendary BMW M1 IMSA Group 4 car, helping the M1 celebrate its 40th birthday this year.
The legendary M1 turns 40 this year.
It’s an exciting show despite fewer releases, but don’t take our word for it—visit NYIAS, check out BMW’s lineup, and be sure to tag @bmwcca in your social-media posts from the show floor.—David Rose
[Photos by David Rose.]
