McLaren’s MSO division makes it’s impact by doing just about whatever their clients demand. Multiple colors, gradients, and even full liveries are all well within scope, admittedly to differing levels of success. In my opinion, this is one big swing that really paid off.
When I think McLaren, I think muted exterior and a wild-ass contrasting interior. In today’s example, MSO went full purple-haze by pairing MSO Bespoke Purple leather with the relatively tame Onyx Black. Although Onyx does have a fairly prominent metallic flake, you’d be forgiven if you never noticed.
Is this insane? Perhaps, but if the above is the litmus, we’d happily be certified.
This Tailored Driver (VIN: SBM14FCA6NW006381) is currently available in Bonita Springs, FL at Gulf Coast Motorworks having covered just under 3,000 miles since it left Woking. It could be yours for an at time of writing $309,995.
This Ferrari 812 Competizione was likely the most customized car on the list at Bonhams | Cars. While the 812 Competizione is already unique, this one (VIN# ZFF03TLAXN0283626) stands out with nearly $130,000 in factory bespoke options. The most striking feature is the Extracampionaro (off-catalogue) paintwork in Blu Elettrico 2020 with Giallo Fly livery accents.
The details continue with 20-inch wheels fitted with yellow-accented Pirelli tires, yellow calipers, and exposed carbon trim. Inside, the theme persists with stunning Blu Medio leather-trimmed Daytona racing seats, Nuovo Giallo accents, and contrasting yellow stitching. The window sticker and specification plate highlight carbon fiber features, including the rear diffuser, front air vents, under door covers, instrument panel, parcel shelf, upper console, and dash inserts.
Additionally, the car is equipped with adaptive headlamps, a suspension lifting system for easier low-speed maneuvering, diamond-polished forged wheels, a high-power audio system, and Scuderia shields. With all these bespoke options, this Ferrari truly is a one-off, and according to Bonhams, it sold for $1,611,000.
The Tailored Driver Car Week trip kicked off at the Bonhams | Cars Quail Auction. As we searched for bespoke options, limited colors, and tailored interiors, auctions like this were the perfect place to start. The online previews provided a solid idea of what to expect, and Bonhams certainly delivered.
As always, Bonhams | Cars showcased a fantastic selection, but we focused on three specific cars: the 2022 Ferrari 812 Competizione, the 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach, and the 1998 Porsche 911 Type 993 Turbo XLC Coupe. We’ll dive into these in detail in a future post.
For now, enjoy the coverage curated by our team, and let us know what you think! Don’t forget to join our groups and forums at Tailored Driver Registration.
If you’re looking for a faster or more affordable way into the driver’s seat of a tailored car, buying it built can be a solid strategy. No, it’s not to your exact spec and you don’t get your Instagrammable moment of a sales guy pulling a fake auto show cover off of the car in a brightly lit delivery room, but you do get to skip the line for an allotment and the wait for production… not to mention enjoy a bit of depreciation. This can be especially rewarding when snagging a late model and barely broken in example from a previous owner with impeccable taste. Take for example this 2022 BMW X5 M (VIN# 5YMJU0C07N9M27108).
This BMW Individual touched X5 M is an AutoTrader Private Seller Exchange listing. In the notes, the current owner states, “I personally specc’d this BMW Individual in British Racing Green and waited over 6 months for it to arrive.”
That owner then logged just under 20,000 miles (19,778 to be exact) before putting the car up for sale.
They also shared that the paint wasn’t the only option. This X5 M also got Merino full leather in Taruma Brown, red M-compound brake calipers, carbon fiber interior trim, shadow line lights, shadow line extended trim and BMW 50 Years anniversary emblems.
Other options included: Executive Package, Remote engine start, Soft-close automatic doors, Rear side window shades, Heated and cooled cupholders, Front massaging seats, Front ventilated seats, Front and rear heated seats, M Competition Package, M Sport exhaust system, 21/22 M light alloy wheels, M seat belts, Competition Package 2, Driver Assistance Professional Package, Extended traffic jam assistant, Active driving assistant pro.
Also worth noting, the current/original owner swapped out the tires for the always welcome Michelin Pilot Sport 4S about 10,000 miles ago.
The seller also states: “Clean title in-hand. No accidents, no issues, no concerns. Garage kept and regularly washed/detailed. All services have been completed on-time, including the 1,200 mile M break-in service. Only top-tier 91 gas from Mobil, Chevron, or Shell.
“You will be hard-pressed to find a cleaner X5M, especially in this ultra rare color, which is only available as special order through BMW Individual program. MSRP $124,945 .. 2 keys/fobs included, along with user’s manual and window sticker.”
There’s more detail and more photos in the AutoTrader link HERE.
One of the things we love about market watching for tailored automobiles is when we find an exceptionally cool spec out there on the market and priced so that even someone on a budget can pick up something bespoke. Take for example this 2019 Audi S5 Coupé (VIN# WAUR4AF53JA073988) in what appears to be Audi exclusive Suzuka Grey Metallic that just dropped in the pre-owned fleet of Audi Minneapolis.
The color confirmation is a little confusing because the dealer’s own website (HERE) lists the car as Daytona Grey Pearl. Photos show it’s clearly not that darker grey initially made popular on early R8s and B7 RS 4 models. It’s also not white, that we’d forgive you for mistaking given the lightness of the shade. No, another listing site we use (shhh, it’s our secret weapon) confirms the car as both Audi exclusive and Suzuka Grey.
Suzuka Grey is another early Audi R8 and B7 RS 4 color, though even more rare. It’s also super light, with just a hint of blue or lavender depending on the angle. Nowadays, Suzuka is still used on cars like the RS e-tron GT, and Audi Japan just revealed their own special edition A8 Gran Turismo Limited available in Suzuka Grey as well. As Audi exclusive paint colors go, it’s popular amongst Audi fans though a bit obscure outside the orbit of the four rings.
Given the popularity at Audi, Suzuka is not an uncommon choice amongst exclusive colors from Audi’s palette. That its’ painted here on an early B9 Audi S5 Coupe is also sweet. Audi has just recently ended production on coupe versions of the A5/S5/RS 5, meaning cars like this are probably destined to be even more coveted by enthusiasts. That this one is a fully-loaded Prestige package with black leather and carbon fiber trim cement it as a very desirable spec. That it’s a first year for the B9 S5 with 3.0-liter Turbocharged V6 makes it both the first year for the current B9 generation (pre-facelift of course) assures us it should be priced affordably. In that it’s priced at $35,299 as of this writing, and with 34,365 miles we’d argue these make it an exceptionally approachable specimen should you wish to step into a special build from Audi exclusive.
Check out the dealer’s listing with more photos HERE.
With so many 964 era Porsche 911s getting snapped up for bespoke builds from the likes of Singer, RWB and more, clean examples of coupes are becoming harder and harder to find. Make them later production years (1992-1994) when Porsche was on the ropes, low mileage or laden with exclusive paint or interior trim and you have something extra special. You have cars like this Marble Grey example found over at Ryan Friedman Motor Cars in Glen Cove, NY.
This is a one-owner Carrera 4 (all-wheel drive) example (VIN# WP0AB2969NS420563), with desirable 5-speed manual transmission and with just 38,149 miles logged. It’s the further specification from the factory though that really grabs our attention.
That Paint to Sample Marble Grey almost seems to harken more modern Porsche uber light grey colors like Chalk, Crayon or Fashion Grey. It’s reportedly the only car of its kind to leave the factory in this shade.
The original owner didn’t just stop at a unique paint color though. Subtle touches enrich the cabin, including matching Marble Grey piping around the black leather seats. It also gets additional leather trreatment on the doors, dashboard and center console, plus a wooden shift knob and e-brake handle that would have otherwise been leather as standard from the factory.
Ryan Friedman Motorcars shares the full build list, so we’ve included it here:
Featured equipment/factory-ordered options: L998 – paint to sample (Marble Grey); VD – black; C02 – US Standard Emissions; XC9 – Dark Rootwood Shift Knob; XD4 – Wheel caps with colored Porsche crest; XF6 – Leather covered panel of the center console (under handbrake lever); XF7 – Leather covered tray behind parking brake; X09 – Special center console; X32 – Dark Rootwood parking brake lever; 331 – Cassette-radio Becker Porsche CR-1; 383 – Sports seat, left, electrical height adjustment; 387 – Sports seat, right, electrical height adjustment; 454 – Automatic speed control; 494 Amplifier; 650 – Sun-moon-roof.
Want to learn more about the car or see more photos? Check out the listing on the dealer’s website HERE.
Back in 2016, the purple color offered in the aptly named Mercedes-AMG G 63 Crazy Color Edition was Galactic Beam(galacticbeam; metallic UNI; 171; Mercedes-Benz). It was one of five very distinct hues that were made available on Mercedes’ then-new W463 G-Wagen. Now, we’ve found one (VIN# WDCYC7DF6GX254809) over at Ryan Friedman Motor Cars in Glen Cove, NY.
Check out the attached photos and you’ll glean what’s already been known about Galactic Beam. It’s a very special purple that shifts to different hues when the light hits it at various angles. It morphs from an intense purple, to pink, to even orange or bronze.
Other colors in the Crazy Color Edition included Solar Beam (yellow), Alien Green, Tomato Red and Sunset Beam (orange). However, it was Galactic Beam that was the most expensive to build and thus to order.
One Galactic Beam specimen of the G 63 Crazy Color Edition is now available at Ryan Friedman Motor Cars. As of this writing, it’s reportedly logged 32,918 miles. So, if you’re searching for a very unique G-Wagen, or perhaps just need to see this color in person, check it out at their showroom in New York HERE.
Though EVs are far from traditional and the debate of the ubiquitousness of their future is never ending, we find the tradition of PTS carrying over to electric Porsches like the Taycan to be undebatable. Take for example this MY2023 Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo (VIN: WP0CD2Y1XPSA90074) in classic Underberg Green found over at Porsche Sugar Land.
We see Underberg Green regularly amongst the many green Paint to Sample Porsches that cross our news desk, and for good reason. The legend goes (via @PTSRS) that the origins of the color tend to be attributed to the Underberg family who both owned the Underberg brand of German digestif bitter and the cars they may or may not have ordered in that color… and apparently they were more of a Mercedes-Benz owning clan.
Whatever the case, the color starts showing up on Porsche models during the 991 era and has since enjoyed a lot of followers for its handsome non-metallic dark green that sometimes gets mistaken for Irish Green.
In this case, it’s been sprayed on a now Certified Pre-Owned Taycan GTS long roof with about 15,000 miles on it. If you’re looking for a unique wagon and at the same time are EV curious, this car may very well be for you.
As anyone who had Army Men toys or even a casual interest in the armed forces can attest- Urban Green is just cool. This criminally(?) underused hue of green looks right at home on most sporty variants, and the BMW M4 (VIN: WBS4Y9C04LFH71553) you see here is no exception.
Featuring a claimed $16,880 in factory options, this highly spec’d BMW M4 is the kind of build that may cause some to initially scratch their heads, but really draws a crowd upon arrival.
This BMW Individual Urban Green M4 Coupe is currently on offer at Park Place LTD for $61,950, and does feature one minor incident on the CarFax. Find more info about this Tailored Driver, here.
Originally available on the E46 generation M3, to say that Phoenix Yellow was somewhat divisive would be putting it lightly. This almost mustard yellow hue was certainly a product of early-2000s Europe, but has in my opinion aged incredibly well. And this 1 of a claimed 2 BMW Individual Phoenix Yellow M3 certainly has a charm to it.
Moving past the incredibly in-your-face exterior paint and Fox Red interior, this M3 sports a 6 speed manual gearbox, lowering springs from RD Sport Suspension Solutions, and the OEM+ addition of BMW Style 359 wheels in gloss black. Rod Bearings are said to have been done, which provides a good bit of peace of mind. F
This BMW Individual Phoenix Yellow M3 has covered just over 92,000 miles, and is priced at $68,000 at time of writing. Learn more about this Tailored Driver, here.
