The strictly limited-edition model THE 8 X JEFF KOONS, based on the BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupé celebrated its world premiere on the occasion of the Frieze art fair in Los Angeles. Production of the 99 models will get underway at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing in March – relying on a unique combination of established large-scale standard production processes and craftsmanship at the Lower Bavarian plant’s paint shop.
This exclusive special model is the most elaborately designed vehicle in BMW history. Over a period of many months, American artist Jeff Koons perfected sketches of the expressive exterior design of his dream BMW and then assisted with its implementation in three-dimensional form in the actual car.
He travelled from New York to Dingolfing several times in the last few months for workshops involving intense discussions with BMW specialists about lines and joints, angles and perspectives, colours or the choice and arrangement of materials for the vehicles’ interior.
“We are proud to produce these ‘sculptures on wheels’ here in Dingolfing and to share our extensive car building know-how, our attention to detail, our precision and the craftsmanship of our employees,” says Christoph Schröder, head of Plant Dingolfing. “It is also a very special small series for us and an honour to work with one of the most renowned artists of our time.”

The 8 x Jeff Koons
The limited edition’s expressive, sporty and powerful exterior design combines 11 different colours, from blue to silver and yellow to black. It features pop-art elements as well as geometric patterns that are precisely tailored to the sophisticated lines and forms of the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé. The lines of colour that explode across the rear of the vehicle are a direct tribute to Jeff Koons’ own 2010 BMW Art Car. According to Koons, the “POP!” stencilled on the sides and the swirls of wind symbolise power and speed.

Over 200 hours of manual work for exterior paintwork alone
Production of the vehicle will get underway at Plant Dingolfing in March. The process for body construction and assembly does not differ significantly from that of a BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé that can be ordered as a regular product. However, other components and materials chosen by the artist will also be installed in the limited-edition model to customise the vehicle – from the seats in rich tones of red and blue, to the finest leather, up to and including the artist’s signature in the Bavarian Blue of the BMW logo on the cupholder trim.
Once it reaches the paint shop, the limited-edition model goes through an entirely custom process in which Jeff Koons’ unique design is applied layer by layer to a vehicle with a Glacier Silver basecoat. This does not, of course, take place in the normal series process on the plant’s highly automated finish paint lines, but in separate spray booths with workstations designed for skilled manual work. Here, a team of around 20 employees applies the lettering, graphic elements and coloured lines or surfaces by hand, layer by layer, with the help of stencils or foils.
“We use a total of eight different design colours,” explains Marco Klante, the project manager at the Dingolfing paint shop. At certain intervals, the vehicles are returned to the standard production process, where the hand-applied design is “sealed” with a clear coat. The vehicles are also finely brushed by hand on a regular basis to ensure smooth transitions between individual painted design elements that cannot be detected by hand. This is another highly time-consuming process requiring the utmost precision. “Because all the paint coats applied together are not even half a millimetre thick,” Klante explains.
A hand-picked team of paint specialists was brought together for the project, some of whom already had experience working on custom paintwork for Rolls-Royce and the BMW 7 Series. The team, working in three shifts around the clock, also includes former painting apprentices who are among the best in the country. This means four of these special models can be painted in a week. Each vehicle requires well over 200 hours just for exterior painting of the body. Plastic mounted parts like the elaborately painted tailgate are supplied by the nearby BMW Group Plant Landshut.
Those responsible at Plant Dingolfing are looking forward to the official start of production. Christoph Schröder: “We are very well prepared and have worked with Jeff Koons to optimise every detail for overall effect. Now, we have to realise these 99 vehicles with maximum precision and repeat accuracy as the artist intended and in the interests of our customers.”