How Luxury Cars Became the Ultimate Expression of Personal Style

For many, a car is an extension of personal style—and in the world of luxury vehicles, the possibilities for making one your own have never felt more exciting. Increasingly, buyers are looking beyond what’s readily available on the showroom floor, gravitating toward one-of-a-kind colors, unexpected materials, and bespoke details.

I’ve long been fascinated by the way a car can say so much about the person in the driver’s seat, and often imagine whipping around in something beyond the familiar rotation of black, white, and silver—an ocean-inspired metallic blue, perhaps, a cool matte gray, or even a bespoke two-tone finish. Today, luxury automakers are taking that same spirit of self-expression to the nth degree, inviting clients to shape nearly every detail of their vehicles around their individual tastes.

As the cars become more individualized, so too does the experience of creating them. For the most elaborate commissions, configuring a vehicle can mean sitting down with specialists in private spaces designed to feel less like placing an order and more like commissioning a piece of art.

“I’ve definitely seen an uptick in clients wanting to do something different and special rather than simply sitting in our studio and mixing and matching options,” says Jason Gorman, senior sales executive for exotics and Porsche at Manhattan Motorcars. “There are now dedicated spaces in the city designed specifically for that experience. Lamborghini has the Lamborghini Lounge, which they use for events and product launches, but it also has a configuration space. For a more bespoke build, someone can sit with the client, walk through the possibilities, and make suggestions. Rolls-Royce has a similar space in Manhattan with its Private Office. It’s a beautiful space with a full kitchen where they host events and product launches, but it’s also designed for those really bespoke builds.”

Mercedes-Benz is also expanding its approach to customization with Studio Los Angeles, which opened in Beverly Hills earlier this year. Home to the first dedicated Manufaktur Made to Measure hub in the United States, and one of just two worldwide, the space allows clients to explore an extensive selection of colors, leathers, stitching, and finishes through hands-on material samples and immersive digital visualizations. With specialists on hand to guide the process, every choice, down to the smallest design detail, receives attention.

For Davide Baldini, head of Maserati Fuoriserie, this elevated level of service is fundamental to going bespoke. “The appeal of the program is not only the product, but the experience around the product and the customer,” he says. “At this level of luxury, they’re not simply buying a piece of steel. They’re buying an experience and embracing an entire journey.”

To better understand the growing demand for automotive customization—and what it takes to bring a bespoke vehicle from concept to delivery—I spoke with representatives and design directors from Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Cadillac, McLaren, and Maserati about the possibilities available to clients, the colors and materials they’re gravitating toward most, and how individual tastes are shaping the cars that ultimately make it onto the road. Here’s how the process works, from start to finish. Who knows? By the end, you may just find yourself dreaming up a custom ride of your own.

Find inspiration.

Every bespoke vehicle begins with a vision. Maybe it’s a particular paint color you’ve always wanted, an interior inspired by a favorite object or hobby, or details that pay tribute to a meaningful memory, place, or person. The first step is translating that inspiration into a design that can ultimately come to fruition.

For some clients, that process begins with a digital configurator. Bentley, for instance, offers more than a billion possible configurations, according to Maria Mulder, the brand’s head of color and trim. After selecting a model and performance specifications, clients can experiment with exterior paint, pinstriping, interior hides, stitching, dashboard veneers, and countless other details. “The colors themselves often come with a story,” Mulder told me, pointing to Cricket Ball, a rich leather hue inspired by the worn patina of a traditional British cricket ball.

Maserati’s Fuoriserie program also lets clients decide how far they want to take the process. “With Fuoriserie, there are different levels of personalization,” Baldini says. “Clients can begin with the collections available through our configurator. From there, we can move into the bespoke world, where the customer can work directly with our designers and engineers, either remotely or in person, to develop something completely unique.”

“In the bespoke world, we can develop what the customer desires based on their feelings, passions, and the purpose behind the car,” Baldini explains. “If a customer comes to us and says, ‘I want the exact color of a GranTurismo from 1957,’ we can develop it.”

Finesse the design.

Once the design concept is in place, clients can work alongside designers, engineers, retailers, and customization specialists to determine exactly how their ideas will translate to the finished vehicle.

At McLaren, that’s where McLaren Special Operations comes in. “The Special Operations division is really for clients who have a passion to go beyond what’s available as standard,” says Jonathan Simms, director of McLaren Special Operations. “It’s a very collaborative process. We’ll work with clients to achieve what they want, whether that means a unique or exclusive color, different materials and finishes, brightwork, polished or precious metals, or even a completely unique vehicle.” The process typically begins through a retailer, then evolves into regular conversations about what the client wants beyond the standard palette or specification.

From there, personalization can extend to virtually every detail. “The possibilities really are 360 degrees,” Baldini says. “We can personalize the interior, stitching, exterior badges, rings, brake calipers, leather, and exterior paint. If a customer wants an entirely new leather or paint color, we can develop it specifically for them.”

Cadillac, too, is expanding its bespoke offerings with Curated by Cadillac for the 2027 Escalade IQ. Select clients can work one-on-one with a dedicated Cadillac Design Concierge to explore an expansive selection of exterior colors and finishes, along with an extensive interior palette that spans everything from seating and upholstery to the smallest cabin details.

Make every detail your own.

Once the initial design concept is agreed upon, the fun truly begins: choosing from a seemingly endless assortment of colors, materials, textures, and finishes. And today’s luxury buyers appear increasingly willing to experiment. “The market has moved on,” says McLaren Special Operations director Jonathan Simms. “If you look back five or ten years, there were iconic cars from McLaren’s past that clients were buying even if the specification wasn’t exactly what they wanted. Now, rather than simply accepting that, a good number of clients want to start from scratch and create something that feels entirely their own.”

At Bentley, more than 70 percent of buyers opt for Mulliner customization, opening the door to an expansive palette of statement shades, from fiery Candy Red to Viridian, a rich emerald hue with an appropriately British feel. I put the possibilities to the test myself using Bentley’s online configurator, eventually landing on a Flying Spur S V8 Hybrid finished in dazzling Kingfisher blue by Mulliner with a bold Hotspur red leather interior.

Mercedes-Benz’s Manufaktur program offers an equally impressive range of personalization options, with more than 150 exterior paint colors and 400 interior color choices for the new S-Class. Made to Measure takes customization a step further, allowing for personal touches like custom embroidery, monogrammed cushions, and even family crests. The program’s appeal is clear: In 2025, half of all S-Class vehicles produced featured at least one Manufaktur option, as did nearly every Mercedes-Maybach. Celebrities are embracing the possibilities, too, offering plenty of dreamy design inspiration. Alicia Keys, for one, has given her G-Class a distinctive makeover, pairing an eye-catching Deep Green exterior with Saddle Brown and Black leather upholstery, a walnut wood trim, and 22-inch AMG forged wheels.

Beyond exterior color, materials and finishes play an equally vital role in shaping the final design. Baldini points to the “Cannelloni” leather interior of the Grecale Tributo Il Bruciato, created in collaboration with Marchesi Antinori, one of Italy’s oldest and most prestigious wine-producing families, as an example of the luxe treatments available to clients looking to personalize their interiors.

Leave it to the factory.

Once the colors, materials, and finishing touches are decided, attention to detail continues through production. For the most bespoke commissions, the process can even extend beyond the dealership and involve the automaker’s factory teams directly. Gorman recalls a recent bespoke Bentley order in which his team coordinated directly with Bentley’s bespoke specialists in Crewe, bringing a designer into the process to make changes with the client in real time. For truly bespoke orders, he explains, “the factory is involved with their team.”

For another glimpse into the artistry behind these vehicles, step inside Mercedes-Benz’s Manufaktur facilities, where no detail is too small to escape special attention. From precision-cut leather to intricate embroidery, the craftsmanship is nothing short of spectacular. Case in point: Each steering wheel is handcrafted by a single artisan, a process that can take up to eight hours, while the headliner alone requires a sewing pattern comprising 20 individual pieces.

Cadillac, meanwhile, takes a similarly hands-on approach to its 2027 Escalade IQ builds, with artisans painting and assembling vehicles in limited quantities. Individualized touches carry through to the finished product, making each vehicle feel distinctly tailored to the client rather than simply selected from a dealership lot.