BMW will happily sell you a new 7 Series with a paint job that costs more than a decent used car, takes longer to apply than most craftsmen spend on a limited-numbers car, and cannot go through an automatic car wash. Remember, this is not a bespoke Rolls-Royce commission. This is a production 7 Series, built on a factory floor, starting at just over $100K in the US, and it just got one of the most labour-intensive paint finishes ever offered on a volume production luxury car.
Called BMW Individual Dual-Finish, the option blends a matte lower body with a metallic upper half, the two meeting with no visible transition line. Getting there takes a team of 20 trained specialists 75 hours of work per car, all by hand. BMW spent two and a half years developing the process and retooling its factory just to make it possible. The privilege costs just over $16,000 on top of the car’s already six-figure sticker. For context, even a relatively simple bespoke paint commission on a Rolls-Royce can typically add somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000, and that’s on a car where such extravagance is the entire point. On a BMW that a business executive or celebrity might actually commute in, $16,000 worth of paint is hard to wrap one’s head around.
Mainly because this is one paint job that demands, not recommends, use of specific soaps, waxes, and polishes to keep the finish intact. Obviously, the idea of just anyone taking a polish machine to a $16,000 matte-to-gloss fade calls for more courage than most owners will care to muster. This is a paint job that requires a dedicated detailer paying close attention to keeping it looking factory-fresh.
Beyond the paint, the 2027 7 Series refresh is a serious statement. The 740 starts at $101,350, with the xDrive variant coming in at $104,350. It becomes the first non-M BMW to offer 22-inch wheels from the factory. The rear Theater Screen grows to 31.3 inches and is now touch-enabled. A 17.9-inch display sits up front, with a 14.6-inch passenger screen standard on the long-wheelbase LCI. Add the optional 36-speaker, 1,965-watt Dolby Atmos audio system with headrest speakers and roof-mounted channels, and you have something that makes the Mercedes S-Class feel slightly restrained by comparison. The 7 Series has always chased the S-Class. And even without the $16,000 paint option, right now, the 7 Series might actually be ahead.
