BMW Says Goodbye To The i8 With 18 Bespoke Paint Jobs

TheBMW i8will go down as one of the most interesting sports cars ever produced by the German automaker, but like all good things, it has to come to an end. Yes, with BMW announcing the end of the i8, somespecial edition carshave surfaced as a celebration of the car's six-year run as BMW's only hybrid sports car. And now the last 18 cars have left the BMW plant in Leipzig. These last 18 come in a variety of colors and states of customization and is a fitting end to the big brother of thei3.

The eighteen lucky customers met their new cars at the Leipzig plant itself and got to witness their cars rolling off the line, each having been modified to suit each owner's wants and desires.

"The degree of customization in these vehicles threw up some major logistical and process challenges, but our i production unit has proved yet again that nothing is impossible," said Plant Director Hans-Peter Kemser.

These cars are presented to the customers in colors ranging from Austin Yellow and British Racing Green to Le Mans Blue, but the actual act of producing one of these cars is more than a skin-deep operation. Each car has a bespoke electric hybrid powertrain, and a unique mix of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and aluminum goes into the bodywork.

The cars were painstakingly painted by hand by a range of suppliers, as well as at the BMW plant in Landshut. Each part of every build was rather nerve-wracking as each car had one-off pieces that had to be assembled with the utmost of care.