The unveilings from Auto Shanghai 2021 are coming quickly, and the latest takes a page out of Maybach’s book. Meet the two-tone BMW 7-Series Shining Shadow Special Edition. Limited to just 25 examples and designed specifically for the Chinese market, it’s a properly special 7 Series whose engine bay comes fully stocked with 12 cylinders. The 6.0-liter unit makes 576 hp and 626 lb-ft of torque. That helps it get to 62 mph in just 3.8 seconds.
But 0-60 times aren’t really the point of
a car like this one. It appears to be the bright counterpoint to vehicles like
the X7 Dark Shadow. As such, the 7-Series comes with that two-tone paint job
that matches silver on top with maroon on the bottom. The paint helps
straighten out the 7 Series design lines and lends it a visual strength.
Although they might be borrowing a trick from Maybach, BMW is certainly doing
it better than Mercedes did with the EQS’s weird little wheel-arch dip.
Style notwithstanding, it ends up taking
BMW longer to paint this car than others because it requires technicians to
spend more time on polishing and finishing the paint. BMW says it takes them
six to seven days from start to finish to paint the 7-Series Shining Shadow.
The look is finished off with a set of 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels.
The company hasn’t spent all of its time
on the outside, though. The interior is finished in custom-made fine-wired
smoke-white Merino leather sewn in a diamond pattern. That’s set against black
piano lacquer wood trim. As you’d expect, the rear seats have also been given
lots of attention, and feature first-class accommodations. They are
electronically adjustable, feature fold-out tables, and best of all will
massage your problems away. The rear seats also feature entertainment screens,
while the front infotainment screen is 10.25-inches across.
Prices start at 2.6 million yuan (US$ 400,000).
