1982 BMW Touch Up Paint (16 OEM Colors)

The 1982 BMW Vibe

1982 was the year of the "Sharknose" legend. Whether you were carving canyons in a 3 Series (the E21 handing the torch to the E30) or cruising the autobahn in a 6 Series grand tourer, BMW was leaning hard into that "Ultimate Driving Machine" persona. With 16 colors in our 1982 vault, we've preserved the full German spectrum-from the iconic, spicy Henna Red that made every E21 look like a weekend racer, to the clean, clinical Alpine White. This was an era of sophisticated pigments like Arctic Blue Metallic and Safari Beige, designed to look expensive even when they were covered in road grime.

Paint Health Check

If you're staring at a 1982 Bimmer today, you're dealing with the Single Stage Era. Back then, they weren't worried about burying the color under layers of plastic clear coat; the gloss was right there in the pigment. But here's the reality: single stage paint is alive, and it's thirsty. If your Lapis Blue or Chestnut Red Metallic looks more like a dusty chalkboard than a mirror, you're looking at heavy Oxidation. The sun literally cooks the oils out of the paint, leaving behind a chalky, dead surface. It's a classic "fade to pink" situation for the reds, and a "cloudy mess" for the blues.

Restoration Tip

The good news? Because the pigment goes all the way through, you can usually buff that shine back to life-but you can't be lazy about it. My golden rule for 1982 steel: It needs wax or it dies. Once you've polished away the oxidation and found that Sapphire Blue Metallic glow again, you have to seal it immediately. Without a high-quality wax or sealant to act as a sacrificial barrier, the air will start eating your fresh finish the second you pull it out of the garage. Keep it fed, keep it covered, and never let it go "dry" or you'll be sanding it all over again by next summer.