The panel of judges decided not to pick the 540i sports sedan that's the "first nearly naked BMW" or the one painted "Gasoline Velvet" or the one that's influenced influenced by the "gothic posturing of Marilyn Manson or even the one that reflects the "unbreakable bond of marriage."
In the end, the panel of judges went for a car that only merged the "quiet sophistication of the classic BMW" with "glamorous urban chic," but even then it marks something of a departure from the solid, serious tones normally associated with the German luxury car company.
Which is of course the point, as BMW Canada creates a local version of the Art Car tradition its Bavarian parent has supported for many years and tries to raise its hipness level a couple of degrees.
Right now the design of the 540i exists only in the minds and sketchpads of the architect and lawyer whose Toronto fashion firm – Hoax Couture – created it. But soon, Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell will be off to Munich to make it real.
After that, people across Canada will be able to better see what a paintjob inspired by the latest computers looks like exactly, as it tours fashion and auto shows and various BMW-sponsored events.
Searle and Tyrell describe the color scheme as "a light silver base coat with a transparent applied print of the Hoax Couture signature label in clear cobalt blue and a thick clear coating. The windows are glass roof are tinted blue, a totally new take."