As human beings, we all strive for our own identities, to establish ourselves as our own person, to stand out from the crowd, and promote our own dreams, intrinsic happiness, and self-worth. Cars have long been an expression of one's personality and often a status symbol, a way to set ourselves apart on the road full of drab silver, black, or white metal boxes. We have all heard stories of special, one-off cars built for Sultans, Sheiks, and the elites of society, coach-built specialty vehicles that are unattainable for the ordinary person, often costing inconceivable sums of money and requiring connections beyond the reach of the average consumer.

One of the first programs designed to satisfy this desire to go further than the standard ordering sheet was Porsche's Sonderwunsch (Special Wishes) program, started in 1978 for a select few fortunate clients. In 1986, Porsche was the first marque to officially launch a one-off customization program available to anyone, named Porsche Exclusive, which still operates today, offering over 600 individual enhancement possibilities available for their vehicles.

Other manufacturers took note of their success, and in 1991, BMW introduced the Individual program, a way for their customers to customize their BMW down to the finest detail, with unique exterior paint choices, special wheel options, and bespoke interiors with different choices of trim, upholstery, stitching, and embroidery.  Until 2006, Individual was only available for those outside of the United States, but BMW decided that its largest market in the world should have access - a decision that paid off, with around 20,000 Individual vehicles delivered worldwide per year.

Exterior color choices are mostly left up to the buyer, with over 120 unique shades in the Individual catalog, featuring some current and historic BMW hues, as well as other manufacturer colors, and even completely one-off options, as long as it is certified by the factory. 

Board meetings are held for deciding if a color will be approved, and usually has to stay within some guidelines for remaining tasteful and in line with the company's standards. For Individual choices, line production is halted and the robots painting the vehicles are loaded with the special color, using Xirallic paints and a 5-coat process that picks up fine pigments in the coating to create greater color intensity and effects.  

Special interiors are created in a similar fashion, with Merino leather, Alcantara suede, carbon fiber, and an abundance of special materials available for use. The options are truly limitless, with examples showing the use of designer fabric, metal, and wood, like Hawaiian Koa wood shipped to BMW by a customer for use as trim in their one-off creation. BMW Individual will also cater to special option combinations, custom embroidery, and wheel choices, but only if they remain within the scope of the vehicle, and core technical changes will not be made.

AUTHOR: DOEORDIE

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