Los Angeles-based Century West BMW is back with another intriguing project. Known for their bold, flashy and unique BMW builds, the Southern California dealership is at it again with a Santorini Blue-painted 740i.
“When I build and subsequently feature our BMW Individual cars, I personally choose a word, for the rotating slides on our website—I thought about the word ‘resplendent’ when it came to this G12 but I figured I should cross reference the synonyms and alternative definitions associated with the word. As it happens, the primary definition of resplendent is the most appropriate,” says Chris Marino, General Sales Manager of Century West BMW.
Some quick Googling of Marino’s ‘resplendent’ gives you the following definition:
“Attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous.”
Marino’s use of the word for this 7 Series couldn’t be more appropriate. Covered in Santorini Blue, this is, to our acknowledge, the only 7 Series ever painted in this scheme. When questioned as to the limit and extent that Marino can continue to produce one-off versions of various BMWs, his response is resounding in its certainty: “Forever—between interior, options, performance parts and exterior options, the permutations are absolutely limitless.”
The G12 7 series—the latest iteration of BMW’s flagship sedan—is the company’s most technologically sophisticated sedan. Lighter, more powerful, faster and more efficient than its F01/F02 predecessor, the G12 has been winning over automotive journalists, media and ownership-alike. “The G12 7 is, in every way, a BMW—no compromises,” Marino says. “The technological sophistication of the car is felt in its power and agility; it truly is a quantum progression in the world of sport sedans.”
While Mercedes has a narrow sales lead in S-Class sales over the G12, the 7 Series has won customers over with its unique driving dynamics and a series of autonomous driving features.
“Mercedes makes a very good car. Mercedes is a brand that has a following that is loyal for few tenable reasons other than a dysfunctional group dynamic, something that can also be said of those who adhere to the Roundel or Apple as another example. But, despite my slight biased, I believe the G12 is superior at the end of the day, you do get what you pay for one way or the other.” And then Marino goes on to say, “Educated consumers will realize the opportunity cost of BMW ownership versus the competition.”
Why Santorini Blue?
“I had gone through a lot of BMW’s color schemes on the 7, I wanted to do a blue one as I had not designed once since a Laguna Seca Blue F01 750i in 2014.” And then, after some thought, “Santorini is a bit played-out on M-cars, albeit really beautiful.”
‘Beautiful’ is an adjective we can get-with, to describe this magnificent G12.