New Ci/Cic colors

Despite my pathetic dialup connection, every once in a while I peek in on www.bmw.de to see what's up with BMW elsewhere.

Well for the new model year, there seem to be a few interesting developments. In addition to the two new coupe/cabrio colors (Sonora and Sparkling Graphite) available in the USA, Germany also gets Havanna metallic. (I dunno...brown?)

Replacing extended nappa leather are 4 colors of Futura exclusive leather: Light Beige, Light Gray, Black and....Garnet Red (Granatrot.) Offhand I'm not sure I've heard of anybody in the USA ever getting a car with the fancy upholstery but...interesting.

And a new wood trim seems to have appeared as well: Pappel Maser Rauchgrau, which I think is Smoke Gray poplar. (Can someone back me up here with the translation?) Lots of people seem interested in anthracite birch, but that Individual stuff is expensive. This poplar might be a more reasonably-priced alternative.

Originally Posted by LMC

Despite my pathetic dialup connection, every once in a while I peek in on www.bmw.de to see what's up with BMW elsewhere.

Well for the new model year, there seem to be a few interesting developments. In addition to the two new coupe/cabrio colors (Sonora and Sparkling Graphite) available in the USA, Germany also gets Havanna metallic. (I dunno...brown?)

Replacing extended nappa leather are 4 colors of Futura exclusive leather: Light Beige, Light Gray, Black and....Garnet Red (Granatrot.) Offhand I'm not sure I've heard of anybody in the USA ever getting a car with the fancy upholstery but...interesting.

And a new wood trim seems to have appeared as well: Pappel Maser Rauchgrau, which I think is Smoke Gray poplar. (Can someone back me up here with the translation?) Lots of people seem interested in anthracite birch, but that Individual stuff is expensive. This poplar might be a more reasonably-priced alternative.

Hmm, not sure about grey.

Pricing of Individual parts varies greatly. While the newer stuff (Poplar Ruby, for example) costs thousands, I fitted Englischrot (Chestnut) wood to my car for little more than the cost of fitting the Myrtle or Birch wood kits. It is a whole league above the Myrtle, and IMHO beats the wood in a Jag for authenticity (the varnish is not overly thick and the veneer really is a wood veneer). Total price £500 with discount, vs £380 for the myrtle.

This kind of wood isn't for everyone, but the deep red and 3D grain makes a nice contract with black leather (and I've never seen a wood colour like that in any other car).

Looks great, Andy! Got any more pics?

I like wood trim in BMWs -- but certainly not everybody does. To my unpracticed eye the Chestnut looks a bit like the maple I have in my Touring.

Originally Posted by andy_thomas

Hmm, not sure about grey.

Pricing of Individual parts varies greatly. While the newer stuff (Poplar Ruby, for example) costs thousands, I fitted Englischrot (Chestnut) wood to my car for little more than the cost of fitting the Myrtle or Birch wood kits. It is a whole league above the Myrtle, and IMHO beats the wood in a Jag for authenticity (the varnish is not overly thick and the veneer really is a wood veneer). Total price £500 with discount, vs £380 for the myrtle.

This kind of wood isn't for everyone, but the deep red and 3D grain makes a nice contract with black leather (and I've never seen a wood colour like that in any other car).

THat is nice. The std Myrtle just looks too flat and brown.

Originally Posted by LMC

Looks great, Andy! Got any more pics?

I like wood trim in BMWs -- but certainly not everybody does. To my unpracticed eye the Chestnut looks a bit like the maple I have in my Touring.

Only a couple of close-ups (attached).

Chestnut is variously known as "Englischrot Muschelahorn" ("English Red Shell Maple") in the ETK. In UK Individual brochures it was known Chestnut, one of three different flavours of maple available at the time (the others were Olive, or "snot maple", and Arizona Sun).

It is similar in contrast, but redder in colour, to Light Maple which was an early E46 factory option (and is still available).

As this wood genuinely appears to be real (albeit a veneer), the variation in grain is noticeable. I went through a couple of shifter plate surrounds before I found one that matched the rest of the wood (it was obviously from a completely different tree!).

Very nice, indeed! Beautiful!

The grain is also a big different that my maple, which I guess is the light maple you refer to.