Benjamin M. Monroe Blog: Geneva 2019: BMW M850i Night Sky with meteorite parts

Friday, March 8, 2019

Geneva 2019: BMW M850i Night Sky with meteorite parts

With the BMW M850i Night Sky, the designers in Munich have created a one-of-a-kind model. The car was introduced in early January in the run-up to an exceptionally intense meteor shower. The show of shooting stars began when the Earth briefly passes through the orbit of the asteroid 2003 EH, during which time fragments from the asteroid will enter our planet’s atmosphere and burn up. On rare occasions, smaller rocks in space penetrate our planet’s protective shield and fall to Earth as meteorites. Some of these extra-terrestrial fragments have now been incorporated into the cabin of the BMW Individual M850i Night Sky.

The live photos from the 2019 Geneva Motor Show that the individualization of the single model goes far beyond the usual BMW Individual catalog. A special highlight are the brake discs with a bionic-design. When creating the brake callipers, it was possible to reduce their mass to the minimum required to meet technical requirements, meaning that only the material needed for the brakes to work is used. The resulting form, whose construction mimics that of bones – with an optimum balance between component rigidity and weight – can only be produced using an additive manufacturing method and not with conventional casting techniques. What is more, it was possible to incorporate the brake fluid channels into the structure of the brake calipers.

More than just a second glance deserves the paint. Black non-metallic was used as the base colour for the body and then a second coat in San Marino Blue metallic was painted over it in a graduated effect from the bottom edge of the body up to the top of the wheel arches. Finally, three layers of clear coat with varying pigment particle sizes were applied to give the paint finish a remarkable sense of depth.

Inside, the meteoritic rock adorns the whole of the center console’s trim plate, the start/stop button, the selector lever and the Touch Controller for the iDrive system, creating a unique visual and tactile effect. Inlays made from meteorite material have also been incorporated into the door sill finishers, together with an illuminated model badge.

The leather interior of the BMW Individual Manufaktur comes in an exclusive tricolor design, which recreates a Widmanstätten structure in the colors opal white, midnight blue and silver.