Wanderlust

Tag: BMW

  • Market Find: BMW Individual Pyrite Brown Metallic X3M Competition

    Market Find: BMW Individual Pyrite Brown Metallic X3M Competition

    Though the fantasy of the tailored automobile is likely that of an exotic sportscar or super luxurious grand touring sedan, the reality is that most of us live life in a more practical daily driver. Car manufacturers like BMW recognize this, creating do-it-all products like the X3. If you need performance, you might choose the X3 M Competition, and if you’re also discerning you might choose a tailored BMW Individual specification like this Pyrite Brown Metallic (pyritbraunii; metallic; P86; BMW) example.

    If you’re impatient, don’t want to wait for a custom build or wish to enjoy the benefits of some depreciation, you could go one further and try to locate a specification like this on the used market – even better the certified pre-owned market. That’s exactly how this 2,260mi specimen (VIN: 5YM13EC02R9W97255) sits at BMW of Murray, Utah.

    You can find more on this listing over at BMW of Murray’s website HERE. Looking at that listing, including Competition Package, Executive Package, and Driving Assistance Professional Package, all listed with specific content broken out, we’d just like hat tip BMW and their dealerships for making evaluation of their cars that much easier. There’s no word salad of options mixed in with mundane equipment like “leather seats”. Ads like this make it easier for savvy shoppers who know what they’re looking for to quickly identify the specification details of the car. Although, the listing still says “Special Order Color”

    So how’d we know it was Pyrite Brown? We’ll share a secret with you. The car was posted by a moderator on the BMW Individual market and discussion group over on Facebook (HERE). We’re still waiting for car dealers to start listing paint names in their ad listings. Until then, groups and forums such as this one help enthusiasts locate tailored cars and we can’t thank them enough.

  • Market Find: BMW Individual Frozen Blue Metallic M3 Coupe

    Market Find: BMW Individual Frozen Blue Metallic M3 Coupe

    A few years after Ken Block flipped the automotive world on its collective head with his matte black Mercedes CLS, it became quite clear that some folks in Munich were big fans. BMW went on to release more than a few “Frozen” editions during the E90-generation, and this Market Find counts itself among them. In 2013, BMW brought a reported 150 of these to the US, and 72 of them were painted in their Individual Frozen Blue Metallic (frozenblau; metallic matte; K5J; BMW) color.

    Having covered approximately 50,000 miles since new, this BMW Individual Frozen Blue Metallic M3 (VIN: WBSKG9C55DJ594559) retains the matte finish that made it special- a clear indication that this car was well cared for, at least aesthetically. You see, Frozen paint requires a more complex operation when washing as to not ‘dull’ the matte and turn it back to a more traditional glossy finish.

    This BMW Individual Frozen Blue Metallic M3 Coupe is currently on offer at Scottsdale, Arizona’s Proper Performance Motors at an asking price of $51,995. When looking at the current state of a softening overall market, we feel this still represents a solid value, with scarcity more than making up for the approximately +20% premium.

    See more details about this Tailored Driver, here.

  • Market Find: BMW Individual Slate Green Metallic M3 Coupe

    Market Find: BMW Individual Slate Green Metallic M3 Coupe

    Woof. When this BMW Individual Slate Green Metallic (slategrün; metallic; 449; BMW) M3 Coupe (VIN: WBSBL93422JR16526) popped up on our radar, we were quite simply floored. A claimed 1-of-1 spec in a color that may have raised more than a few eyebrows in Munich when ordered, Slate Green Metallic paired with Cinnamon leather and Style 163M wheels commonly found on the Competition package is peak M3.

    Currently on offer at Ryan Friedman Motor Cars, this M3 has covered just 8,947 miles since new. That works out to be about 406 miles annually, which means the car really was never used, and likely never really will be either. So what we have here is genuinely a real contender for best E46 M3 in existence, which will go on to be a crown jewel in someone’s private collection, or become s centerpiece at one of the world’s more prestigious museums.

    If you’ve got the means, do not hesitate to give Ryan Friedman Motor Cars a call, or if you’re feeling frisky just click the Buy It Now button on their site and work out the details later. After all, this is one that you likely won’t see again. Check out the full listing for this Tailored Driver, here.

  • Color Check: BMW M3 in Ruby Star Neo

    Color Check: BMW M3 in Ruby Star Neo

    While pink isn’t typically a widely chosen hue on special paints, Porsche’s Ruby Star Neo holds a special place for its modern reinterpretation (read: “neo”) of a 964 era color that traces its roots to the Carrera Cup. Over the years, the color has become so desirable that it got the aforementioned modern reformulation and reintroduction, and it also tends to jump brands and get painted on cars beyond the Porsche marque. Take this BMW M3 that BMW posted today on its Facebook page HERE.

    We love it when manufacturers jump brand boundaries and experiment with colors from other marques. We love it even more when those colors are iconic and/or carry a motorsport pedigree. Bonus points then to BMW M for building the car, setting up a photo shoot at BMW Welt in Münich and then sharing it on their social media channel.

    Worth noting, we suspect this is likely the car shared by BMW Welt on its own channel a few weeks ago. The front shot shared by BMW M shows roof bars, revealing the car is a station wagon Touring model, and we suspect multiple cars in this spec and especially at that same location are highly unlikely.

    Well played BMW. Well played.

  • Market Find: BMW Individual Atlantis Blue Z3 2.5i Roadster

    Market Find: BMW Individual Atlantis Blue Z3 2.5i Roadster

    To quote YouTuber and Cars and Bids founder Doug DeMuro.. “Now THIS is cool!” We’re big fans of BMW’s Z3 platform and even bigger fans of early BMW Individual builds, so when this came across our desk there was admittedly hesitation- do we add to the fleet, or do we showcase for our obsessive audience?

    This BMW Individual Atlantis Blue Z3 2.5i Roadster (VIN: WBACN33411LK46065) might not pack the punch of it’s M sibling, but it’s still quite special in our eyes. To fully understand why, consider that BMW Individual formally announced themselves in the US at the 2006 Miami Auto Show- a full five years after this car was built. To put it bluntly, the original curator of this Z3 had some insider knowledge.

    If you fancy yourself a cheap point of entry into the world of Tailored Driver, look no further. This BMW Individual Atlantis Blue (atlantisblau; metallic; 399; BMW) Z3 2.5i Roadster is currently located in Buffalo, New York and offered for sale by it’s current owner on Cars and Bids. At time of writing, the current bid is a scant $2,244. Find additional photos and more information about this Tailored Driver, here.

  • Market Find: BMW Individual Java Green M3 Competition

    Market Find: BMW Individual Java Green M3 Competition

    One of a claimed 34 to be produced in BMW Individual Java Green over Silverstone leather, this Tailored Driver (VIN: WBS8M9C51J5K98980) has quite a lot going for it. Apart from the obvious BMW Individual Java Green paint and must-have Competition package, the original curator if this spec opted 666M wheels in black, the Executive and Driver Assistance packages along with the incredibly tasteful but often overlooked extended leather package.

    In the 36,000 miles since taking delivery, this M3 saw quite a few performance add-ons as well including a full turbo-back exhaust, intakes, upgraded intercoolers and injectors, and a stage 2 tune to ensure it all works cohesively. Add to that the OEM+ items from the GTS variant and a Vargas V2 crank hub as preventative maintenance, and it’s a fairly compelling package if you’re into this sort of thing.

    This BMW Individual Java Green M3 is currently offered for sale at Clearwater, Florida’s Premier Auto Lounge for an asking price of $65,500. See additional images and get more details on this Tailored Driver, here.

  • Color Check: BMW Individual Frozen Deep Grey Metallic G90 M5

    Color Check: BMW Individual Frozen Deep Grey Metallic G90 M5

    You have to love BMW M’s social media presence. Photo shoots of special build BMW Individual offerings are a regular theme in their feed, cars like this latest G90 M5 sedan painted BMW Individual Frozen Deep Grey metallic (frozendunkelgrau; metallic matte; P7X; BMW).

    These shots come from BMW M’s Facebook feed that you can follow HERE. Follow and like it and we’re pretty certain you’ll trick the Facebook algorithm into feeding you more BMW Individual builds. Even if they don’t though, we’ll make sure to keep them regularly posted here as well.

    There are actually several posts of this particular car that we’ve embedded below, giving us plenty of angles on the car in various settings. In those photos, added as a gallery at the bottom of this post, we also get a good look at interior, brake and wheel trim though the posts don’t detail much further than basic model specs and the paint color. Should you be able to confirm the other build details, drop them below in the comments.

  • Market Find: BMW Individual Santorini Blue M3

    Market Find: BMW Individual Santorini Blue M3

    No one does “where do they find this stuff?” quite like Enthusiast Auto Group, and this Tailored Driver is proof positive of that. One of an alleged 8 BMW Individual Santorini Blue E9X generation M3’s, this car has covered just 18,600 miles since new.

    We’ll get the EAG tax comments out of the way right now- yes this BMW Individual Santorini Blue (santorinblauii; non-metallic uni; 327; BMW) M3 (VIN: WBSKG9C52DJ594292) is priced at $99,900. And yes, that is the result of color, mileage, and the nearly blank-check refurbishment that EAG is known for. But the Enthusiast Auto Group provenance is music to the ears of those prospective buyers who demand the best and have the means to acquire it.

    For most of us, we’ll simply enjoy the view of this Tailored Driver and wonder what if. Because if we walked into a BMW store in 2013, we’d walk out having ordered something just like this.

    Get the full details on Enthusiast Auto Group’s site, here.

  • Market Find: Sea Green BMW Individual 328i Convertible

    Market Find: Sea Green BMW Individual 328i Convertible

    To summarize a point often made during these early days of Tailored Driver– green is good. When paired with a price of entry that’s not completely out of most budgets, it’s even better. But for this one, you’ll need to bring a boat.

    Finished in BMW Individual Sea Green Metallic (seagrün; metallic; 393; BMW) and paired with green leather seats and matching soft top, this BMW triples down on a good thing. While not the full ITB experience of a euro-market M3, this 328i sports the M appearance package and a manual transmission which will be a lot easier to maintain properly with parts easily found stateside.

    At time of writing, this Tailored Driver has an asking price of €16,999 and is located in Hamburg, Germany. At current exchange rates, that’s about $18,750 plus shipping and handling.

    Check out the full listing on Mobile.de.

  • Market Find: 2022 BMW Individual X5 M in British Racing Green

    Market Find: 2022 BMW Individual X5 M in British Racing Green

    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.