THE MASTER OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS.

Mathias Babbel
Head of Exclusive Customer Advisory and Order Management.
Responsible for exclusive customer advice and the BMW Individual Manufaktur portfolio since 2016.

BMW M Magazine: Mathias, what’s been the most special project you’ve worked on?

Mathias Babbel: The development of the BMW Individual M850i NIGHT SKY, about whose development I could write a small book. The key here was that it was a collaborative project across all departments and people were so enthusiastic that everyone was willing to go the extra mile. Some of its design elements were not included in the original concept and were added during the development phase, like the enormously elaborate headliner – hand-sewn in our factory – or the paintwork that was applied to the vehicle during the factory holidays in Dingolfing.
Administrative departments such as purchasing and development pushed themselves to their limits in order to create this beautiful vehicle. Ultimately, it was a team building project that showed what we are capable of when everyone pulls together and is united in one purpose.
 

When did your passion for BMW automobiles come to life?

A reminder of where it began came recently when my father sent me a photograph of my childhood bedroom: it had huge BMW posters on the wall and the rest of the room is covered with BMW stickers. I even converted my parents to the joy of the BMW brand. When I was 16, they bought their first BMW, which became mine when I was 24 – my first ‘proper’ car. Later, I bought my first new BMW: a 330i convertible of the E46 series, built on 16 March 2006, now with 55,000 kilometres on the speedometer. And – how could it be otherwise – already fitted with BMW Individual equipment. Specifically: BMW M paintwork in Carbon Black, Walknappa Champagne leather interior with bicolour steering wheel and birch anthracite wood finishes. It's still in my parents' garage and always worth a trip home for.

The car is cherished and well-maintained and is not used in winter. When it goes to the BMW workshop for a service, everyone geeks out and wants to buy the car.

How would you describe the fascination of BMW?

Anyone who has ever driven a BMW and developed a passion for it will never lose that feeling. This starts with the impressive dynamics, but then the entirety of the unique driving experience quickly becomes all-consuming: the straight-line performance, the steering, the engine response, the brakes – everything. You can put a BMW fan in any car and they’ll always know whether it's a BMW or not. We often say the typical indicator is the unmistakable ‘M Smile’ that is apparent on a driver’s face when they get out of the car.

Admittedly, your passion for the subject is contagious. How can a customer bring maximum individuality to their vehicle?

There are two options. At BMW Welt in Munich, we provide advice on paintwork, upholstery and mouldings. But if it gets more elaborate, it only works in a different, special environment. Our experts at BMW Individual Manufaktur take the time to work on exceptionally exclusive BMW and BMW M models, sometimes for months or even up to a year with the customer, defining almost every unusual wish and every detail of the vehicle – until in theory everything is individually perfected and compliance with legal requirements and regulations is ensured. This can be enormously demanding, but the intentionally easy access to the specialists at BMW Individual Manufaktur makes an incredible amount possible.

Anyone who thinks of BMW Individual usually has unique paint colours in mind. Who decides which paints are developed, and how do you create them?

The colours are developed by our design department, where there is a Colour and Trim team. Colour experts who are involved in trend research also work there. Of course, it's not only about current trends, but also about trends that are sometimes far in the future.

The requirements for the colours then come from product management. Here, for example, design is told: “We need another blue shade, and it has to be sporty and dynamic, perhaps it has to have a nuance of purple.” And then the experts start working on it.

A paint finish such as BMW Individual Dravite Grey metallic creates different effects depending on the light – how does this work?

It is a so-called changer paint. By mixing together special pigments, a unique glitter effect and an extraordinary colour brilliance are created. Depending on how the light falls on the paint finish, it is reflected differently, which changes the perceived visual impression again and again.

How do paints get their names? And how can BMW Individual and BMW M paints be distinguished from each other?

Most BMW M paints are given names of racetracks, for example Hockenheim Silver. BMW Individual paints, on the other hand, are named after gemstones, such as Ametrin metallic. In this way, a really large colour palette comes together. In total, the current BMW Individual range includes more than 130 different paint colours.

Naturally, BMW Individual customers also have the opportunity to create a unique paint for their vehicle. Such colours trade under names that do not fit into the pattern above. In addition, it is of course also possible to use paint colours from other manufacturers, such as Verde Ermes – a paint that has already been seen on one of our BMW M850i vehicles.