I’ve been complaining about the glum, pervasive monochrome-tyranny of car colors in America (and much of the world), and just when I’ve almost given up hope that my son will ever see a modern car in some color other than Totalitarian Gray or Ennui White, the 2018 BMW M5 gets a whole candy-coated wonderland. Hot damn.
The new BMW M5, while only available in one main configuration, offers what BMW calls an “Individual Program” that lets you chose from a much greater array of colors. And these are actual colors, not a slightly greenish taupe or a blue-cast on a gray that passes for color for so many carmakers.
Look at these colors—they have names like Purple Silk, Long Beach Blue, Java Green, and, in a strange case of chromatic cross-pollination, Ferrari Red.
I wonder if that’s ever happened before, a carmaker naming a color for another carmaker? I mean, I know you can get German cars in British Racing Green and all that, but this BMW is painted Ferrari Red. I wonder if they can do a SEAT Bocanegra Green for me, too?
Look, BMW can call these colors Mitsubishi Mirage Blue or even Maybe You Should See A Doctor Stools Orange or whatever they want. I’m just delighted to see real, vivid, unafraid colors, and I think the new M5 looks fantastic in them.
DISCUSSION
Everyone complains about lack of color and drools over exotic cars in fabulous hues but when it comes time to buy they chicken-out and choose black or gray.