Most 8er enthusiasts have come across this picture taken from German marketing material as it has found widespread distribution on the internet.

To the viewer this picture appears as if someone had used special lighting to create an artistic effect.

This is not the case. The car pictured is indeed Cosmos black on top and Imola red on the lower parts with a special fade-in paintwork.

This BMW Individual car was exhibited at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) and is the only E31 which received such an intricate paintwork.

Fact Nbr 6 - 2012-01-20