There are things that exist only once in this world, and then there are things that are not even of this world. The two have now combined in the shape of Muonionalusta, an iron meteorite that was formed some 4,570 million years ago, and the most exciting and elegant sports car coupé from BMW. With the BMW Individual M850i NIGHT SKY, BMW Individual Manufaktur shows what can be achieved when you strive for maximum uniqueness. Materials, components and working processes were all questioned and upgraded to meet the challenge of creating this level of uniqueness. Haute couture in combination with prêt-à-porter characterise this one-of-a-kind vehicle from BMW Individual. It is no coincidence that it is to be presented on 3 January 2019. That night, a meteor shower – called the Quadrantids – expected to be visible to the naked eye across the night sky.
A UNIQUE MASTERPIECE.
- Exclusive one-off model
- Artful processing of the rare meteorite in the interior
- Fantastic, handcrafted two-tone paint finish
- Unique, orthogonal design elements in the exterior and interior
- Three-coloured leather upholstery with individual quilting
AS IF FROM ANOTHER PLANET.
The exterior of the BMW Individual M850i NIGHT SKY is a tribute to the ‘blue hour’, a phenomenon that occurs in the period of twilight in the morning and evening when the sun is at a significant depth below the horizon and residual, indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue shade. In order to transfer this moment to the vehicle‘s concept and thus capture its special feature, the BMW Individual M850i NIGHT SKY was painted vertically in two-tone by hand. Starting with a strong San Marino blue, the colour scheme gets progressively darker and leads to a light-absorbing black uni. In order to let the observer feel the depth and vastness of the sky, tinsel and bronze pigments were incorporated into the first layers of clear coat. The vehicle's refinement is completed with a total of seven layers of clear coat.
INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.
Aesthetic elements such as front spoilers, air breathers, mirror caps and brake discs take on the characteristic, orthogonal form of the so-called Widmanstätten pattern of the meteorite. BMW Individual's possibilities are further demonstrated by the first ever installation of brake callipers with bionic design, i.e. a geometry based on organic constructions found in nature. The callipers are 30 per cent lighter than conventional components and were manufactured using a metallic 3D printing process. This unique masterpiece piece is carried along by 20" BMW Individual light alloy wheels in 730i V-spoke design.
PART OF THE UNIVERSE.
When you look at the interior, the first thing you’ll notice are the words NIGHT SKY written in all-caps on the door sill. The backlit lettering is flanked by two mosaics from the Muonionalusta meteorite, which complement the door sill. Look further inside and a second highlight immediately stands out: leather trim in tri-colour design. Opal White with Midnight Blue and accents in Silver emphasise the theme and embody the uniqueness of the Night Sky with the highest quality BMW Individual Merino leather.
The colour scheme runs across each one of the vehicle’s seats, complementing its appearance. In order to make the Widmanstätten pattern a tactile experience for the passengers, the quilting in the middle section of the seats underlines the comfort as it nestles against passengers’ backs during their journey. The centre console forms the nucleus of the vehicle‘s design: the fascia panels, the start/stop button, the iDrive lever and the gear selector lever all have a refined mosaic design from the meteorite. As a result, more than 600g of this rare material can be found in the interior.
In order to cultivate the incomparable feel of the gear selection lever, tiny pieces of the meteorite were specially adapted to its convex shape. Also exceptional is the night-blue back of the gear selector, covered in the highest quality BMW Individual Merino leather. To complete the illusion of a star-filled sky, the interior is complemented by a perforated and backlit armrest. A specially-developed electronic system interprets the interior lighting to match the aesthetics of the unique specimen that adorns it.
The BMW Individual M850i NIGHT SKY questioned the status quo, defined new limits of what was feasible and consistently interpreted the design language of the meteorite in all areas of the vehicle.
Several hundred working hours were necessary to highlight the intricacies of the filigree details on this extra-terrestrial masterpiece. The small centimetre-squared pieces were laid by hand in mosaic patterns on the vehicle’s centre console, door sills, the gear selector lever and the iDrive Controller.
ABOUT THE METEORITE.
The Muonionalusta meteorite is named after the location it impacted in today’s Sweden and forms the basis for the BMW Individual M850i NIGHT SKY. Discovered in 1906, it is the oldest iron meteorite in the world at 4,570-million years of age. Its chemical composition, comprising a variety of iron elements, allows further comprehensive conclusions to be drawn. For example, these elements formed into an iron core – whose composition is similar to that of the Earth – inside a glowing preplanet measuring several hundred kilometres in diameter. The parameters of pressure, weightlessness and time were crucial for the formation of the so-called Widmanstätten pattern, a design-defining element characterised by its orthogonal shape and formed when kamacite (low in nickel) and taenite (high in nickel) cool one degree per thousand years. The fact that fragments of this iron core can now be found on Earth is due to the collision of two equally sized preplanets about 400 million years ago. "We can determine this period relatively well because we can measure the cosmic radiation of the artefact," says Dr. Thomas Müller of the Max Planck Institute and scientific advisor to BMW Individual.
The impact itself could only be dated at "about" one million years ago, Dr. Müller explains. To put this into perspective, however, he adds: "This is the equivalent of four ice ages. The entry speed of the meteorite into the atmosphere was about 72km/s. This corresponds to a speed of about 260‘000 km/h. The enormous forces acting on the meteorite pushed its structure beyond its limits and resulted in fragments of it scattering across a 20 km² area of Scandinavia.
