BMW’s paint palette is one of the best in the business. While a huge share of traditional BMW paints have become fan favorites — like Alpine White and Black Sapphire Metallic — the BMW Individual program is a veritable gold mine of excellent colors. Options are nearly limitless, after all. The catalog includes over 165 different colors ranging from subtle blue hues to loud yellows and pretty much everything in between. But with nearly 200 colors to choose from, some are nearly guaranteed to be overlooked. Flipping through the catalog, we found several that we don’t think get the love they deserve.
Borusan Turkish Blue (P9E)
There’s a long-running tradition of BMW and blue paint. Estoril Blue, Interlagos Blue, Le Mans Blue…the list goes on, but the headline is that BMW’s most excellent cars have (appropriately) received some of the most exotic and complex blues. Borusan Turkish Blue comes from Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport, the Turkish racing team. The team’s blue cars have been a presence since 2008, and the paint was co-developed with BMW. Fittingly, many M division cars are now available with the paint. Miami Blue is a very close relative, just a shade darker.
Mauritius Blue Metallic (287)
Mauritius Blue Metallic is another excellent blue. It predates even Borusan Turkish, and you can find cars as early as the E30 wearing this royal hue. More importantly, Mauritius Blue Metallic is also the shade of an 850i previously owned by basketball superstar Michael Jordan. Mauritius Blue appears elsewhere, too; chiefly, the Porsche color catalog. Interestingly, Porsche’s version is slightly lighter and non-metallic. Either way, it’s an under-utilized Individual color we wish we saw more of.
Midnight Sapphire II Metallic (R71)
Black Sapphire Metallic is still a fairly common color on new BMWs. But have you ever heard of Midnight Sapphire II Metallic? It’s a pretty uncommon color, primarily appearing on higher end vehicles including Rolls Royce models. It’s definitely more blue than either Black Sapphire or Carbon Black. However, it’s unlikely most passers-by would ever spot a difference. That’s probably at least some of the reason it seems to be a rare Individual choice.
Midnight Amethyst Metallic (S0G)
Midnight Amethyst Metallic is a color that really gets around. Even if you don’t see it much on BMW models, the color (at least in name) appears in both GMC and Honda color palettes. The shade is a dusty purple that isn’t quite as brilliant as some other popular Individual choices, like Twilight Purple or even Thundernight Metallic. That said, it’s a perfect choice for someone who wants something a little understated, but still unique. A similar “Amethyst Metallic” appears in Porsche’s catalog as a much more saturated color. It was available in the early 1990s on the 911 and 928.
St James Red (W65)
Like many other entrants on this list, St. James Red originated higher up the “luxury car food chain.” This shade comes from the unlikely source of Bentley. While allegedly originally a Continental color, it was also available on the Bentley Arnage, the car that bridged two eras and marked the one-off occurrence of a BMW power plant under the hood of a Bentley. It’s a fantastic red, brighter than Cinnabar (of E30 fame) but still darker than Imola Red. It’s a good alternative to both of those, and tamer than colors like Rosso Corsa and Fire Red. Speaking of Rosso Corsa…
Verde British Racing (P6E)
You probably know British Racing Green; did you know there was, essentially, two of them? Verde British Racing is the Ferrari equivalent, hence the Italian. Is it substantially different than British Racing Green? Your call, but to my eyes the colors look as identical as can be. British Racing Green is a fan favorite. But who knows? Maybe your favorite British Racing Green car was actually painted Verde British Racing…
Thunder Metallic (P6L)
Like blue, BMW has a way with greys and silvers. Thunder Metallic is, as the name suggests, a metallic paint darker than Bernina Grey (another excellent color). While Toyota has a similar color — dubbed Thunder Gray — BMW’s seems decidedly deeper and more metallic. Truthfully, there isn’t a whole lot separating Thunder Metallic from a lot of the other greys BMW already has, like Dark Graphite. A shame considering the very cool name. Which is impossible to confuse with the similar Thundernight Metallic, a metallic purple.
Any colors we missed? Thanks to the nearly limitless possibilities offered by BMW Individual, there are plenty of under-utilized colors in the library. We think the ones here are a solid starting point. As always, you can explore the possibilities yourself at BMW’s Individual paint visualizer.
