BMW Art Cars are exactly what the name implies: BMW automobiles painted in custom liveries by some of the greatest artists of the 20th and 21st century. The first Art Car, a 1975 3.0 CSL, was painted by artist Alexander Calder at the request of French racer Herve Poulain, and interest in the car prompted BMW to continue the project.
Since 1975, a total of 16 art cars have been crafted by artists such as Jeff Koons, A.R. Penck, Robert Rauschenberg, Ernst Fuchs, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Warhol’s car, a 1974 BMW M1 Group 4 racer, was brush-painted by the artist himself (in around half an hour), and BMW has refused offers as high as $60 million for the car.
In conjunction with the London 2012 Olympics and Festival London, selections from BMW’s Art Car collection were displayed at an ordinary (but security-enhanced) parking garage in Shoreditch, London. We missed our chance to attend, so here’s the next best thing – a video on the Art Car collection, narrated by Edmund’s Alistair Weaver. Enjoy.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
