BMW Individual - why?

[mrscalex]

I've see a couple of 2.2s both with labels and BMW VIN options stating 'Individual'.

Both are standard Topaz Blue. One has a blue engine bay and one has a black engine bay.

They both have blue rather than black roofs. Is that the only reason they are individual? I can't see anything else non-standard about them.

And why does one have the individual black engine bay and the other is just Topaz Blue?

 

[Redline]

Am sure a Z3 expert will be along shortly, but, as you say, Topaz Blue is a standard colour, not an Individual colour. Could well be just the blue roof. Possible they did a production run with this as a standard fit rather than a customer option.
Also, has the blue engine bay one been re-sprayed I wonder?
http://www.onlyz3.com/en/special_individual.html

 

[Eddie Zedder]

It becomes an individual when the buyer specifies options prior to build and then are factory fitted, as opposed to dealer options.
The blue roof may be the key, you can check how it came out of the factory using the vin decoder on this site, but i cant remember how to find it!

If I remember correctly, all Z3's had black engine bays after 2000/2001.

 

[mrscalex]

Yes, always in and out of BMW VIN

I think it might just be the blue roof that makes it individual as it's clearly a pre-build option.

I don't think it's the case that the later cars all have black engine bays. My Titan Silver project was built 7 Jun 2002 and definitely doesn't, before or after I resprayed it.

https://zroadster.org/threads/2-2-engine-replacement-project.17379/page-4

So I'm still curious about this aspect.

 

[Eddie Zedder]

Yes, you have jogged my memory a little more. I think I read that it was a cost saving exercise that was short lived. You will also find on the metallic coloured versions that they wouldn't have the lacquer top coat on, hence the bay would look duller. My topaz is an example of this.

 

[mrscalex]

Yes, you have jogged my memory a little more. I think I read that it was a cost saving exercise that was short lived. You will also find on the metallic coloured versions that they wouldn't have the lacquer top coat on, hence the bay would look duller. My topaz is an example of this.

A short lived cost saving exercise would make sense.

My Titan Silver engine bay was a very different colour to the outside. I also believe at the factory the paint used is primer but because it's stove baked it acquires a satin sheen. I matched the colour but just went for a gloss finish on my engine bay. Anyway, the quality of the paint job in the engine is most definitely not the same quality as the rest of the car!

 

[Devon Z]

Mine is marked as individual on the chassis plate and I did put a whole raft of extras on it? £6k as I recall? Blue roof being one and extended leather, she is base blue under the bonnet and boot lid. I've seen a lot of Topaz Z3's for sale with black base areas and generally they've been post 2000.

 

[Paul Rice]

Mine must be an individual then with its blue roof?

 

[mrscalex]

Mine must be an individual then with its blue roof?

You'd be looking for this code on bmwvin.com.

S940 special equipment BMW Individual

You should also have a sticker on the passenger side in an equivalent location to where the main chassis label is on the driver side.

Sorry, picture a bit unclear but you should be able to make it out.

 

[Gundun]

Mine is an individual because of:

• Factory roof dark green
• Factory fitted M mirrors
• Mexico green inserts on steering wheel and gear lever & handbrake boots

You can also see the Individual optionals picked when you run your VIN through an online encoder.

 

[g8jka]

@gookah's first Z3 3.0 was an individual. Titanium silver with a blue roof, think the rest of it was standard apart from the AC Schnitzer accessories but they wouldn't make it an individual so it must be the roof colour being specified as opposed to the standard black.

 

[Devon Z]

Don't know how many extras you have to specify to be classed as an individual?

 

[mrscalex]

View attachment 56066
Don't know how many extras you have to specify to be classed as an individual?
View attachment 56068

I think based on experience only the blue roof would make it 'BMW Individual' - put it this way, I've seen nearly all of those options on other cars, including my own and the cars are not BMW Individual.

Of course with all those extras it is very individual and of course special to you

 

[mrscalex]

So it seems you can have:

• An individual edition - Fuji Green, Dakar, Mora, Orinoco etc
• An individual car - because it has key optional extras, apparently a roof for sure, possibly seats/extended leather
• Lots of other optional extras - nice, but doesn't necessarily make it an individual.

Quite how the black engine bays tie in we're not 100% sure. But I believe all individual 'editions' have this and seemingly some individual 'cars'.

 

[Jimmy Weston]

Mines an induvidual , it's came with
Heated washer jets
Air con, no not roof down
Blue embossed soft napper leather , with jade piping
Chrome pack
And micro pearl Fiji green paint
So that's why the cost more years ago , here's my last 7 vin digits iff that helps LE91181

 

[Grumps]

@Mint has an individual. He may be able to shed some more light on it.

 

[mrscalex]

Mines an induvidual , it's came with
Heated washer jets
Air con, no not roof down
Blue embossed soft napper leather , with jade piping
Chrome pack
And micro pearl Fiji green paint
So that's why the cost more years ago , here's my last 7 vin digits iff that helps LE91181

Is yours not a Fiji Green individual edition? Rather than an individual car?

 

[Mint]

...@Mint has an individual...

I do but I do not have a coloured roof - mine's black but I do have an individual colour - Aegean Blue. The Individual code is S940 and then it's detailed like so:

 

[Jimmy Weston]

As far as I'm aware it's a induvidual,other wise it would stamped as Fiji edition induvidual, but your not the first one to mention there called that

 

[Mint]

As far as I'm aware it's a induvidual,other wise it would stamped as Fiji edition induvidual, but your not the first one to mention there called thatView attachment 56087

Yep, I have an Individual sticker as well