28
Jun 2010
The history of the BMW Art Car
The Audi A1 decorated by artist Damien Hirst – the car that looks like it’s escaped from a Nissan Qashqai advert – has sold for £350,000 at an auction for the AIDS Foundation.
At around £335,000 more than the standard A1, you would expect the anonymous buyer to put the car on display as an investment, although it is road worthy and could technically be driven.
The auction, which also featured a 1.8 metre print by Hirst, took place at the home of Sir Elton John and was attended by 750 VIP guests.
Damien Hirst didn’t start the Art Car trend, instead it was a French racing driver for BMW who decided to commission an artist to paint his car before the Le Mans race. Since then, 17 BMW art cars have been produced, the most recent in 2010, and many have participated in the famous race:
For images of all the BMW Art Cars from 1975 until now, see our gallery at the bottom of the article.
The Art Car and BMW
The concept of the art car was started by French racing driver Herve Poulin, who decided to ask American artist Alexander Calder to paint his BMW racing car for the Le Mans 24-Hour race in 1975.
Calder obliged, and created the first ever ‘art car’ in the shape of an intensely coloured BMW 3.0 CSL. A former engineer and sculpture, Calder was famous for his abstract mobile sculptures. The 480bhp car, used for the first and only time at Le Mans, was forced to retire after seven hours with a defective prop shaft.
A year later, Calder died at the age of 78, but his ‘art car’ legacy lived on.
1976
In 1976, US artist and renown petrol head, Frank Stella designed the second BMW art car. He described his design as ‘like a blueprint transferred onto the bodywork’ and was inspired by his love of the racing coupe.
Sadly, the BMW 3.0 CSL with a six-cylinder inline 750bhp engine suffered technical problems, and once again BMW failed to achieve a placing.
1977
The next BMW Le Mans car to be given the art car treatment was a BMW 320i group 5racing version capable of 257km/h and with a power output of 300bhp.
Roy Lichtenstein designed the car, which was driven by art car concept creator Herve Poulain.
“I wanted the lines I painted to be a depiction the road showing the car where to go," said Roy Lichtenstein commenting on his design of the BMW 320i. “The design also shows the countryside through which the car has travelled. One could call it an enumeration of everything a car experiences."
The car was more successful than previous years, finishing 9th overall and first in its class.
1979
One of the world’s most famous modern artists, pop art master Andy Warhol, designed the 1979 BMW M1 group 4 racing version’s paintwork. Unlike much of his other work, which was completed by his assistants, he painted the M1 from start to finish himself.
“I love that car. It has turned out better than the artwork," he declared after completing the car, which, complete with six-cylinder inline engine and 470bhp, finished 6th overall and second in its class.
1982
Austrian-born Ernst Fuchs had the honour of painting the first art car to be based on a full production model, the BMW 635 CSi.
On designing the car with a design he called ‘Fire Fox on a Hare Hunt’, Fuchs said: “A machine should not be made to look better. It has its own aesthetics."
The sculptor and theatre scenery and costume designer never saw the car in action, as it was used for display purposes only.
1986
In a more modern twist on the art car style, Robert Rauschenberg processed other artists’ works using photographic techniques and projected them onto a BMW 635 CSi.
He also controversially included his own photographs of trees and swamp grass to highlight the environmental problems associated with the car. The US artist later inspired a new style of abstract art called ‘Combine Painting’.
Rauschenberg needn’t have worried about the environmental impact of the car, as it was never driven on the road or during a race.
1989
According to artist Michael Jagamara Nelson, the 1989 BMW M3 group A racing version art car was, “a landscape as it would be seen from a plane – I have included water, the kangaroo and the opossum."
Unsurprisingly, Nelson was an Australian artist who used aborigine ‘Papunya’ art as an inspiration for the M3, which was capable of 281km/h and boasted 300bhp.
The Australian-designed car won the Australian AMSCAR Championship and was driven by several-times Mobil 1 champion Peter Brock.
1989
Another Australian, Ken Done, was commissioned to create a second BMW art car in 1989. He attempted to match the vitality of the country with the speed and beauty of the BMW M3.
“I have painted parrots and parrot fish. Both are beautiful and move at an incredible speed. I wanted my BMW Art Car to express the same thing," he said.
The car itself won the Australian Drivers’ Championship in 1987 for the JSP BMW team before bowing out of competitive racing.
1990
Japanese artist Matazo Kayama was chosen to paint the next BMW art car, a BMW 535i with six-cylinder engine delivering 211bhp.
Using the theme ‘Snow, Moon and Flowers’, he decorated the car using an airbrush technique and by cutting small pieces of foil and transferring them to the bodywork.
The car was not used in races and was designed specifically for exhibition purposes.
1990
Cesar Manrique also designed an exhibit-ready art car in 1990. He believed cars affected our landscapes and the way the world looks. He also wanted to show the aerodynamics and aesthetics associated with the BMW 730i.
“Therefore, my idea was to design the BMW in such a way as to give the impression of it effortlessly gliding without any resistance," he said.
The architect, sculptor, designer and painter died two years after designing the art car.
1991
“Art on art, art on technology – that interested me – especially art on a three-dimensional object," was how A. R. Penck described his 1991 BMW Z1 art car.
The 170bhp model, which was never driven on a road or in a race, was designed in a similar style to prehistoric cave paintings. The German-born artist was inspired by technical design and his work can be seen in museums throughout Europe, Japan and the US.
1992
The BMW 525i was the subject of the first African artist to paint a BMW car. Esther Mahlangu was also the first female artist to lend her talent to the German manufacturer.
Based on African Ndebele art, Mahlangu explained her design: “Ndebele art has, in an entirely natural way, something slightly formal but very majestic about it; through my work I have added the idea of movement."
Once again, the 525i with a power output of 250bhp and a top speed of 221km/h was designed solely as an exhibit and never raced.
1992
Sandro Chia, the Italian artist tasked with designing the 1992 art car using a BMW 3 Series Touring racer with four-cylinder engine and 370bhp, was painting graffiti on cars from an early age.
“The automobile is a much coveted object within our society", said Sandro Chia commenting on his work. “It is the centre of attraction. People look at it. This car reflects those looks."
1995
“BMW gave me a model of the car and I looked at it time and time again", says David Hockney commenting on the process of creating the Art Car. “Finally, I thought it would be a good idea to show the car as if one could see inside."
The chosen car was a BMW 859 CSi with V12 engine and 380bhp. Hockney described the car as having ‘wonderful lines’.
The English artist was well known for his own form of pop art, a nod to Andy Warhol and his 1979 BMW M1.
1999
American artist Jenny Holzer used chrome letters to spell out messages on the BMW V12 LMR. Holzer is famous for using words instead of pictures, and her messages included:
PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT
THE UNATTAINABLE IS INVARIABLY ATTRACTIVE
YOU ARE SO COMPLEX YOU DON‟T RESPOND TO DANGER
LACK OF CHARISMA CAN BE FATAL
MONOMANIA IS A PREREQUISITE OF SUCCESS
WHAT URGE WILL SAVE US NOW THAT SEX WON‟T?
After a long hiatus for art cars from racing, the V12 LMR took part in 24-Hour Le Mans qualifying but not in the actual race. However, another BMW V12 LMR won the race that year.
2010
Jeff Koons unveiled the latest BMW art car in the form of the BMW M3 GT2 at a prestigious ceremony in France.
The bright colours and ‘bursting energy’ of the design was intended to make the car look dynamic even when standing still, according to Koons.
“These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy," said Koons. “You can participate with it, add to it and let yourself transcend with its energy. There is a lot of power under that hood and I want to let my ideas transcend with the car – it’s really to connect with that power."
Powering the BMW M3 GT2 is a 4.0-litre V8 engine with a maximum output of 500bhp, and a 0-100mph sprint time of just 3.4 seconds.
Despite racing-caliber brakes, an upgraded sports chassis and the use of lightweight materials, suspension problems forced the car to retire from Le Mans 24-Hours after just seven hours.
For images of all the BMW Art Cars from 1975 until now, see our gallery below: