km : Passing Lane

For most of us, simply owning a new BMW 7-series would be satisfying enough. Still others demand something just a bit more special than your average 400-horsepower, $100,000 luxury sedan. For those folks, BMW has created the 7-series Individual Package.

BMW has for years offered an extensive line of special accessories and finishes through its Individual division of M GmbH. European buyers, most of whom special order their cars anyway, can combine special paints and unique leather and wood finishes to create a more personal expression of their automotive vision. Other Individual offerings include shift knobs, steering wheels, floor mats and more. The program there is extensive, being offered on the every car in the range from the 3-series on, as well as the X5.

In 2006, BMW started sharing the Individual goodies with American buyers, offering an option package on the 7-series; with the recent arrival of the all-new 7-series, they’ve picked up where they left off. Packing a twin-turbo V12, the 2010 760Li Individual, as we sampled, turns out to be a pretty damn exclusive ride. Even in Hollywood, where it served as livery for our myriad social obligations surrounding the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Wearing Citrin Black Metallic paint — one of four colors offered with the Individual package — the 760Li looks somber from a distance. Closer inspection reveals fine gold metallic particles that lend it more of a brown tone at short range. It’s this kind of subtlety that defines the Individual models; rather than in-your-face additions, the package turns up the intensity of the details.

The interior is an even finer example of this philosophy. Full Merino leather (BMW’s finest grade) is stretched across virtually every interior panel — seats, dashboard, door panels, center consoles — endowing the cabin with an aroma with which fine footwear fanatics will certainly be familiar. The light champagne-colored hides are the perfect backdrop to the dark red-toned sycamore wood trim that adds both visual warmth and a yacht-like ambience to the interior. The Individual steering wheel, with its wood inlay, seems odd at first but is really just the perfect way to bring the piece into the design without taking the whole-slab-o’-wood approach with the upper and/or lower portions of the rim. Alcantara, naturally, finishes off the headliner.

All these special trimmings are available on any current 7-series from the 750i up (and it will likely be offered on the 740i and 740Li once those models are launched). Having said that, the 760Li, with its 535-horsepower V12 and long wheelbase, seems like the most appropriate model on which to lavish these fine wares. Paired with an eight-speed automatic, the engine is silent and strong, unleashing a motive force many sports cars would envy. Sixty miles per hour from a dead stop comes in just 4.5 seconds, despite the absence of all-wheel drive. The chassis is pure BMW, responding to the driver’s every input and reporting back with assuredness. A blast from Hollywood to Malibu on Mulholland Highway and Decker Canyon Road put the car through what would have been a challenging workout even for a smaller sport sedan. Not only did the big 7 gladly accepted the spirited drubbing, it also failed to raise concerns from the back seat passengers, who seemed to enjoy the ride from their privileged easy chairs.

In addition to the special paint, wood trim and leather options, checking the Individual package on your order form gets you special door sill plates, 20-inch V-spoke wheels and blacked-out window trim. The cost for all this pre-assembled personalization is $6500, plus another $1800 if you choose one of the four exclusive paint colors. With rear-seat entertainment, night vision and active cruise control, the price our 760Li Individual tallied up to $154,925.

At that price, the 760Li has few real competitors. The V12-powered Mercedes-Benz S600, priced nearly identically, is the closest, but it’s less of a driver’s car than the athletic BMW. The Porsche Panamera comes in cheaper, but is far more sports car than luxury sedan. The Maserati Quattroporte can’t match it for power or comfort, despite a similarly exclusive cache. Dressed in its Individual suit, the 760Li is a rare blend of performance, luxury and exclusivity.

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