"INSPIRED BY MOVEMENT"

A BMW Individual 760Li: Unique car with design details for the Swiss watch
manufacturer Girard-Perregaux.

Munich. The story starts with dark wood and titanium, chairs by Mies van der
Rohe and deer's antlers. These are the fittings that decorate the boutique of
watch manufacturer Girard-Perregaux in Gstaad in the Swiss Alps - and these
were the source of inspiration for one of the most exciting projects that BMW
Individual has ever experienced. Transferring the atmosphere of the room to a
BMW 760Li - this was the vision of the President of Girard-Perregaux, Dr. Luigi
Macaluso, and the challenge for the designers from the BMW subsidiary that
specialises in meeting exclusive requirements.

With the unique vehicle based on a BMW 760Li, BMW Individual is continuing its
own success story in a most spectacular way: with an automobile in which the
development of a common product has been brilliantly implemented - two brands
that have both positioned themselves successfully in the premium segment in the
international market. Both combine similar objectives: meeting the toughest
demands in terms of precision, quality and aesthetics, realised with complete
expertise. BMW Individual and Girard-Perregaux are appealing to the same target
group: people who value exclusivity and emotion.

The unifying philosophy: precision and
quality.
The beginning of this unusual cooperation was a commission which the President
of Girard-Perregaux, Dr. Luigi Macaluso, entrusted to BMW Individual: to design
a car which suitably reflected the philosophy of his luxury products. The model
for the vehicle was the design of the boutique in Gstaad opened in 2005 - a
geometrical space which in its stylistic consistency
represents a minimalist, elegant jewellery case, whilst reflecting its roots in
the genius loci of the Bernese Oberland in the materials and colours used:
wood, leather and horn.

But how can the interior of a boutique full of wenge wood, green leather,
titanium and antlers be translated into an automobile? By defining the exterior
colour first of all. "I go from the outside to the inside" is how Christine
Angermann, from the BMW Individual design team, describes her approach.
Inspired by the materials and after intense discussions with former racing
driver Luigi Macaluso, she decided on the colour "Silverstone II", a paint
colour with a fascinating iridescence: "Very light green flashes shimmer
through." They perfectly match the seating inside. The upholstery is in green
leather, based on the Mies van der Rohe chairs in the boutique. This colour is
a special colouring and was first created by BMW Individual.

BMW Individual produces something new: wenge wood, the colour green and horn.
One of the particular challenges was the use of wenge wood for the interior
trimmings. Wenge (milletia laurentii) is a tropical wood which is found mainly
in the African states of Cameroon, Zaire, Mozambique and Congo. Because of its
lively grain pattern and its warm colour, which changes from light brown to
coffee black, wenge is very popular in the world of high-quality design and for
inlays. It is very weather-resistant and extremely hard, but can have a
tendency to split. "Shaping this hard wood with veneers for the interior was
something absolutely new for us", says designer Christine Angermann. The wenge
inlays in the steering wheel - a typical BMW Individual hallmark - is therefore
a manufacturing achievement of the highest quality. A protective varnish of
clear shellac shows off the open-pored structure of the wood very effectively.

To match the sense of technical flair generated in the boutique in Gstaad
through the use of titanium inlays, aluminium is used in the automobile, since
it can be worked more in line with its function. A glass bead polishing finish
gives the brushed aluminium a discreet matt sheen which harmonises with the
other colours without dominating them.

Reduction to the simple beauty of the
materials.
"The concept of the car is based on the boutique in Gstaad, but also on the
personality of the client. Luigi Macaluso is a sporting character", says the
designer. "The overall impression in the interior needed to be simple and
functional, reduced to the pure beauty of the materials." The focus was on
precise craftsmanship: "This requirement unites us with the products of
Girard-Perregaux; it's not about fashions - it's about quality workmanship at
the highest level. Both brands value technical innovation and first-class
quality."

And it was about understatement too. The President of one of the oldest and
last watch factories in Switzerland did not want a watch shop on wheels, but
rather wished to convey the ideal, formal quintessence of boutique
architecture. "The concept became more and more puristic", the BMW Individual
designer said in explaining the design process, "and so the watches are
displayed very discreetly". In the centre console in the back, in addition to a
display table, a "treasure box" has been installed. This is a removable wooden
box, lined in velvet. This casket is concealed under a roller made from wenge
wood, which can be gently pushed upwards using an elegant horn handle. The
ceiling grips are also made from horn, in a discreet reference to the antlers
which lend a touch of humour to the radical cuboid shape in Gstaad.

The imagination of a room and discreet
luxury.
VIP customers of Girard-Perregaux who are driven around in the BMW Individual
760Li can also see the rest of the collection as a film presentation, thanks to
the 9.5" screens which have been integrated into the backs of the front seats.
In the interior, the references to this haute voiture are as discreet as the
man who commissioned it: embossed initials on the leather upholstery in the
rear, the tourbillion, which is the trade mark and masterpiece of the
Girard-Perregaux collection, engraved in the iDrive, the company logo in the
roller devices of the door panels and on the decorative rear strip.

The sophisticated aesthete and trained architect Luigi Macaluso feels that the
execution has been a success: "The design project created by BMW Individual and
Girard-Perregaux shows the similarity of character and the strengths of two
brands, which have close links with research and technology and which strive
for exclusivity and perfection." The President of the watch-making company
thinks that automobiles and watches play a particular role in life: "Technology
and function still leave sufficient space for sensuality. The common
denominator is the feeling for beauty."

Luigi Macaluso sees his new BMW Individual 760Li as a "Concept". This
automobile will also embody the style of Girard-Perregaux throughout the world
- "a style that connoisseurs recognise immediately and that is never about
exhibitionism but about being natural, authentic, for cultured people who have
and appreciate an extreme attention to detail s".
"Both, automobiles and watches, are instruments, machines, yet the common
denominator is emotion", he continues. "Brands have characters, but cars and
watches have souls."

Piano varnish, velvet leather and multimedia in the rear.

BMW Individual: The most exclusive way to drive a BMW.

Munich. Refining what's good so it becomes even better - this is the success
story of BMW Individual. 15 years ago, the company followed the trend towards
more individuality and concentrated on customers who were looking for
made-to-measure solutions and making tougher demands on their BMW in terms of
exclusivity, design and function. The automobile becomes a subtle statement of
personality which deliberately focuses on what's special and which turns aside
from standardisation.

BMW Individual has been a synonym for outstanding technical ambition and a
desire for automobile perfection. A team of specialists combines the flexible
working methods of a manufacturer with the resources and skills of a globally
active corporation. As an elemental business area, this division is part of BMW
M GmbH, a subsidiary of the BMW Group, which was formed in 1972 as BMW
Motorsport GmbH and which, thanks to outstanding engineering achievements,
specialises in high-performance vehicles that are suitable for everyday use.

Design and art: Karl Lagerfeld and David Hockney.
Established in 1991, the small but beautiful BMW factory for individual
automobiles with special paint finishes, leathers and fine wood trims was the
first in the industry. With unique products and rarities, BMW Individual has
been interpreting the colour and material language of the different model
series in a fascinating way. The success story started with a design from Karl
Lagerfeld, which was followed by another two designs over the next few years.
These unusual prototypes were pioneering for what followed.

The version for the artist David Hockney was just as perfect but rather more
eccentric: the passenger seat in his BMW 6 Series was replaced by a basket
containing supplies of water for his constant companions - two dachshunds. The
designer Hanae Mori, with her butterfly design for the upholstery, was also an
exception. Apart from such extravagances, high-quality hand finishes and
exclusive materials went without saying in all versions during the subsequent
years. Cars were "made to measure" to suit personal requirements - for Arabic
ruling houses.

The most exclusive way of driving a
BMW.
Since 2001, the tasks and contents of BMW Individual have been redefined in
order to pursue the highest form of customer orientation in the best possible
way. The primary aim is to achieve an overall concept for the vehicle which
presents the customer with a wide selection, depending on the model series.
Customers can make their own personal selection from a collection of
high-quality materials, harmoniously matched paint finishes, leathers and
interior trims. Thanks to the design competence of BMW Individual, the result
is always of the highest aesthetic standard. With the unique car developed for
the Swiss-based watch producers Girard-Perregaux, BMW Individual once again
developed a "haute voiture" in autumn 2006.

The paintwork.
In line with the understatement embodied in the BMW design language that
governs all model series, the experts at BMW Individual always try to harmonise
each customer's wishes with the BMW philosophy. The individual paintwork is
more than a colour: it captivates its customers through its unique brilliance
and sophisticated iridescent effects. Thanks to a fine pigmentation, changing
nuances appear, depending on how the light falls, which give the surface a new
dimension and depth. The intrinsic excitement of the colour black is
demonstrated in four variations, including Opal Black metallic and Ruby Black
metallic. When it comes to avant-garde exterior colours: the elegant, light
shades such as Moonstone or Diamond metallic are preferred particularly by
buyers in Asia and other sunny regions: under blue skies, these paint finishes
shine with a special glamour.

The leather.
A refined appeal, extreme durability and comfort: the Merino leather used by
BMW Individual is characterised may many positive characteristics. Gentle
tanning methods and "barrel pigmentation", as it is known, in which the dye
penetrates through intensive rotation and is not just applied to the surface,
give this material its richness of colour, strength and durability. The living
structure of this leather comes from its natural graining rather than
artificial embossing. The finish applied in the semi-aniline process stops
fading caused by light, and yet the leather still stays breathable. The
combination of all these sophisticated yet gentle processes produces seats that
are as soft and smooth as velvet.

Interior
trimmings.
It's the many details that make the
difference with BMW Individual. The interior trimmings made from piano varnish
are the most sophisticated finish. The black, high-gloss polished surface is
only achieved by famous piano makers using a time-consuming polishing and
finishing process. This is what gives this varnish its unique brilliance.
Elegant highlights are added through details such as the centre console,
ceiling grips and wood inlays in the steering wheel. No less sophisticated
alternatives are inter trimmings from high-quality woods such as walnut,
mahogany or poplar.

The hallmarks of BMW
Individual.

With all the precision of its craftsmanship, exclusivity is coupled with
understatement.
• The illuminated entry strips with the BMW Individual lettering are a discreet
hallmark of quality.
• The steering wheel is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and an aesthetic gem in
one. A filigree wooden inlay is incorporated into the wheel, either in black
piano varnish or in high-quality wood to match the interior trimmings.
• The centre consoles in the rear have many different functions: with swivel
tables, bar compartment, shelf compartment or a multipurpose communication unit
that turns the car into a mobile office.
• The cardanic reading lights in the rear are infinitely adjustable and can be
moved to precisely the spot required. Thanks to their powerful illumination and
wide light focus, they allow passengers to read and work in comfort.
• The Rear Seat Infotainment / Online offers entertainment and information for
rear-seat passengers. Two monitors are ergonomically and elegantly integrated
into the headrests of the front seats. The infotainment variant has two 6.5"
LCD monitors on which TV programmes or DVD films can be shown in 16:9 screen
format. Even more facilities are offered by Infotainment Online, the innovative
internet system with 9.5" LCD monitors which can be used separately from each
other. A complete multimedia programme with DVD, TV and internet use, including
e-mail, is therefore possible. The computer required for this is stowed in the
boot, thus saving space.

BMW Individual
Maritime.

Many of the people who love exclusivity in all areas of life also love the sea,
the coast, the maritime atmosphere - whether it's at the Hamptons, Malibu,
Deauville, Cote d'Azur or Heiligendamm. To make sure that these maritime
maniacs also feel that they're on deck when they're in the car, a variant has
been developed which, with its sophisticated details, brings the world of the
sea and yachting into the car. BMW Individual composition with maritime
character conveys the aura of decks and the deep blue sea - an imaginary gust
of sea air blows through this automobile: midnight blue outside paintwork,
champagne-coloured Merino leather, mahogany interior trimmings with inlays
strips in light maple and, as an amusing allegory, an embroidered compass on
the floor mats.

20, 000 BMW Individual customers a year enjoy discreet
luxury.
The result is exclusive vehicles for contemporary people who enjoy discreet
luxury. After its launch 15 years ago, today around 20 000 customers a year
from all over the world enjoy this most exclusive way of driving a BMW - and
around 7 000 of these are in Germany. This is an exclusive target group that
demands special technical and design solutions. That makes even tougher demands
on exclusivity and function. That dreams that what is perfect can still be
improved. Until now, this customer group has been 80% dominated by men, but it
is the women that go for the braver colours. In addition to the existing
collection of materials, there are no limits on special wishes. But above all,
there is the desire to achieve a successful symbiosis of individual, exclusive
standards and absolute technical perfection.