BMW and Karl Lagerfeld
What many people don’t know is that it was actually Karl Lagerfeld who first gave the people of Munich the idea of individually designed vehicles for end consumers in the early 1990s. The initially hesitant implementation took place quite quickly after the Arabian market had not only accepted this rather unexpected individualization, but had even exhausted it and the rest of the European market also made more and more use of this offer, which finally led to the BMW founded in 1992 Individual GmbH ended.
Lagerfeld’s “Sevens”
Karl Lagerfeld made a lasting impact on the fashion world like no other before him, and the automotive industry will also remember this extraordinary talent forever. Not only the BMW L7 shown here bore his signature. The world-renowned designer created and designed a total of three top models of the 7 Series executive sedan.
First of all, Lagerfeld got an impression of the automobile work of art to be designed by him and of the interior of the BMW 7 Series E32 from 1992. He designed the vehicle in an extended version of the 750iL in two colors “to tone”. The silver upper contrasted sharply with the black bottom on this E32, reflecting Lagerfeld’s world view and his own style. The interior received unique wood paneling and special equipment. He designed the vehicle according to his own requirements and needs in a way that would be convenient for him, and since Karl always needed a fax machine, this was also installed in the vehicle. Likewise, the E32 also received a dedicated pen holder and minibar, as well as a premium audio system to make its journey more enjoyable.
The whereabouts of these 3 E32 models are uncertain. One of these 3 vehicles was last exhibited at Techno Classica 2017.
In 1996, BMW brought a 7-series BMW E38 series specially designed by Karl Lagerfeld for the Berlin Four Seasons Palace in Berlin, which was intended as a VIP shuttle. The idea behind it, which had to be implemented, was to give the incoming branches the same ambience as in the castle when they were picked up.
Karl Lagerfeld was born on September 10, 1933 in Hamburg. This date comes from a birth certificate that was released, but Lagerfeld himself claimed to have been born sometime in 1938, with some sources even claiming that he was born in 1939. He lived mainly in Paris, the city of fashion, and only fashion managed to bring him this success. During his professional life he was the most respected and influential fashion designer.
From 1982 he worked as the main designer of the Chanel brand. He became famous for his controversial ideas, which he was able to implement. Known for eccentricity, ingenuity, creativity and unseen uniqueness, his work remains a significant guarantor of fashion quality to this day. After his death on February 19, 2019 in a Paris hospital, his reputation has not changed.
The 750iL E38, designed by Karl Lagerfeld, is currently on display at the Danubiana Gallery of Contemporary Art, in Bratislava.
Data:
Paintwork: Individual paintwork, basic paintwork gold-orange metallic with effect paintwork in chestnut brown
VIN: DA61243;
Special equipment:
Side airbag for rear passengers, Chrome-Line interior, green wedge windscreen, velours floor mats, automatically dimming interior/exterior mirrors, rear-facing equipment, PDC, xenon light, rear air-conditioning omitted, auxiliary heating, navigation system, second receiver in the rear for telephone, car telephone with Card reader at the front, 6-disc CD changer, HiFi-Professional DSP, M leather steering wheel, luxury package, M light alloy wheel with double spokes.
Individual equipment:
BMW Individual paint finish (see above), BMW Individual full leather Walknappa chestnut in cinnamon, leather buttons for the front and rear seats (without seat heating), steering wheel rim in two-tone Walknappa chestnut dark with black grip surfaces, BMW Individual headliner, A/C pillars and B pillars above and sun visors in cinnamon leather, BMW Individual floor mats in anthracite velor with cinnamon leather edging, glass partition with electric curtains and intercom system, initials “KL” in the wooden panels of the tables on the partition and on the wooden panel above the glove compartment, make-up mirror with reading lights black, integrated in the leather-covered roof console in the rear, which can be folded out, storage net on the transmission tunnel on the passenger side, telephone handset covered in leather in Walknappa chestnut dark including eject box at the front right, three cushions in nubuck cinnamon leather, luggage compartment lining in nubuck chestnut dark including mats and luggage compartment divider, independent radio/CD -System with AC-3 processor and Dolby Surround speakers in Ve Connection to TV/video in the rear, fax Possio on the partition on the left, self-sufficient with Nokia Card Phone, telephone antenna in the rear bumper, BMW subwoofer box for HiFi system, fine wood interior in English red shell maple, leather-covered Kleenex boxes in the door panels at the rear left and right, compass in the front area.
