|
I don't know the technical specs of Sparkling Graphite Metallic in particular, but it may contain some of the elements used in "pearlescent" custom paint jobs, which are valued for their complexity and tendency to look different from different angles.
Most manufacturers' "pure" metallics get their sparkle from tiny metal chips suspended in the paint layers, which reflect light (and therefore make the paint look slightly lighter when you're staring directly at it with light coming over your shoulder). The paint looks a bit darker when the surface curves away from you.
But pearl paint jobs also employ small bits of mica suspended in a clear layer. The mica can be coated with variable thicknesses of titanium dioxide or ferric oxide. This technique gives the paint more of a 3D look, with slightly different color effects when you stare directly at it (called the "face" or specular viewing angle) than when you see it at an oblique angle (called the "flop" or diffuse angle).
The changes in color can be complex with a pearl paint job, like the colors that reflect from an oil slick on water, and hard to describe.
But cool.
The difficulty almost everyone has in describing it is one reason that Sparkling Graphite Metallic stands out as BMW's most sophisticated and technically complex color.
SGM is a custom paint job from the factory.
__________________
CXXXVi |