New one-off BMW M850i Night Sky edition revealed with meteorite trim
Unveiling of the new BMW M850i Night Sky special edition V8 coupe coincides with a meteor shower on 3-4 January
BMW’s Individual division has produced an exclusive one-off version of the 8 Series. The official reveal of M850i xDrive Night Sky, BMW says, is set to coincide with an intense meteor shower due to take place on 3-4 January as Earth passes through the orbit of the asteroid 2003 EH.
As a result, the Night Sky is filled with a range of details inspired by the extraterrestrial, many of which showcase some of the brand’s more exclusive manufacturing techniques.
The most striking feature is the inclusion of real meteoritic rock: the material adorns the centre console trim plate, the start/stop button, the the gear selector, the top of the iDrive click wheel and the door sill inserts.
Lights are embedded into the centre armrest to emulate stars in the night sky, while a deep pile carpet covers the floor. Like the armrest, the carpet is finished in dark blue, which matches the three tone (dark blue, white and silver) leather upholstery.
The Widmanstätten pattern is a crystalline structure of nickel-iron which is found in meteorites, and it’s a formation that has inspired many surfaces of the Night Sky’s interior and exterior trim. The geometric motif can be found in the headlining, centre console trim, and stitching on the seat centres.
The M850i Night Sky is a coupe rather than a convertible, so you’ll need to get out if you want to look up at the meteor shower. Still, it gains many exterior features to help it stand out from the conventional M850i.
It starts with a unique paint scheme. A black base forms a base layer beneath graduated coats of San Marino Blue, while three layers of clear topcoat, each mixed with varying pigment particle sizes types, complete the deep, sparkling finish.
BMW has employed 3D printing techniques to produce several exterior parts. The door mirror caps, the front air vent splitters, the centre mesh plate and the front wing vent surrounds are all constructed with the technique to replicate the Widmanstätten pattern.
The grooved brake discs, finished with a matching decoration, are gripped by 3D printed calipers. Not only do they enable the production of more intricate patterns, but they are 30 per cent lighter than the standard components.
Calipers aside, the Night Sky is mechanically identical to the regular M850i. That means power comes from a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 with 523bhp and 750Nm of torque.
The price is yet to be confirmed for the M850i xDrive Night Sky, but given the unique design, expect it to be astronomical.
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