Color Combinations

Color Combo Overview

Color Combination (definition): The combination of the exterior color (farbe) with an interior upholstery color. With 125 exterior colors and 34 interior/upholstery colors applied to the 8 Series, there were potentially 4`250 different possible color combinations with 806 combinations actually in use.

1	DIAMANTSCHWARZ METALLIC (181)	LEDER NAPPA/SCHWARZ (0226/M4SW)	1`765
2	DIAMANTSCHWARZ METALLIC (181)	LEDER WASSERBUEFFEL/ANTHRAZIT (0180/M6AT)	1`214
3	MAURITIUSBLAU METALLIC (287)	LEDER

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Germany Colors

Country Code Germany (definition): this country code includes shipments to Germany and from 3/1996 also Austria.

Information provided: 11`185 vehicles with option code 801 (German market version) were inventoried through the BMW 8 Series Inventory Project. There were 102 exterior colors applied to the E31 German market version. All exterior colors and interior upholstery colors are cataloged and can be viewed within the sortable tables. Data is grouped by model and color code.

• The

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Japan Colors

Japan (definition): This area includes the country of Japan (including its territories).

Information provided: 2`513 vehicles with option code 807 (Japan market version) were inventoried through the BMW 8 Series Inventory Project. There were 25 exterior colors applied to the E31 Japan market version. All exterior colors and interior upholstery colors are cataloged and can be viewed within the sortable tables. Data is grouped by model and color code.

• Three color groups, Blue, Silver,

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North American Colors

North America (definition): This area includes the countries of Canada and the USA (including the territories of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico).

Information provided: All 7`232 vehicles were inventoried through the BMW 8 Series Inventory Project. All colors were cataloged and can be viewed within the sortable tables. Data is grouped by model and color code.

• The group of Black exterior colors represents 41.5% (rounded up to 42%) of the North American BMW 8 Series built.

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United Kingdom Colours

United Kingdom (definition): This area includes Ireland and the United Kingdom (including its territories).

Information provided: All 3,040 vehicles were inventoried through the BMW 8 Series Inventory Project. All 68 colours applied to the E31 UK market version (code 812) were cataloged and can be viewed within the sortable tables. Data is grouped by model and colour code.

• The group of 19 Blue exterior colours represents 31% of the United Kingdom BMW 8 Series built.
• Special

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What does Delta-E (ΔE) mean

	ΔE value	Perception
	0–1	Not perceptible
	1–2	Barely noticeable
	2–3.5	Noticeable upon closer inspection
	3.5–5	Clearly noticeable
	5–10	Big difference
	>10	Completely different colors

Hex and RGB in the statistics tables

• OEM Hex/RGB: The exact original color of the BMW paint
• Web Hex/RGB: The next color that can be displayed on the web (often from a limited palette)
• Delta-E: Indicates how much the web representation differs from the actual paint color

Examples from the tables

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8-Series Global Color Distribution

The table below details the color distribution for all 30,621 8ers produced between 1989 and 1999. Each column represents one of the models of the 8er line-up. The first column is added to obtain a fully comprehensive overview despite none of the 830´s making it into distribution.

A total of 122 different exterior colors has been extracted from the data sheets for 30`582 cars. 39 cars remain unknown where the data sheet does not record an exterior color. Amongst…