- The 20th BMW Art Car is based on the BMW M Hybrid V8 endurance racer.
- It was created by artist Julie Mehretu, who used her “Everywhen” painting as inspiration.
- The Art Car will take part in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15th.
Who doesn’t love a good BMW Art Car? The latest special-liveried commission has plenty of reasons to get excited about, thanks to its unique Grafitti-inspired looks – and that’s before you consider that it’ll be spicing up the grid at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month.
Based on the BMW M Hybrid V8, the electrified endurance racer will be making its debut at the historic day and night race this year. In fact, it marks BMW’s return to the flagship class, as the factory team has not competed at the highest level in Le Mans since they won 25 years ago.
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The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 is fittingly the 20th BMW Art Car ever made and it made its debut at Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. The car has been designed by McArthur Award and US Department of State Medal of Arts Award recipient Julie Mehretu. Her name is added to an esteemed list of artists who have lent their talent to BMW’s program, which includes greats such Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jeff Koons.
Mehretu used her “Everywhen” painting as inspiration for the design, transforming the two-dimensional pattern to the 3D contours of the BMW M Hybrid V8. “In the studio where I had the model of the BMW M Hybrid V8, I was just sitting in front of the painting, and I thought, ‘What would happen if this car seemed to go through that painting and becomes affected by it?’” Mehretu said. 3D mapping technology was used in the process, enabling the exterior foil to be applied to the intricately shaped hypercar racer.
Photos BMW
The BMW M Hybrid V8 Art Car will be displayed at the the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como, Italy, before going on to take part in the historic 24-hour race on the 15th of June. The #20 car will be piloted by works drivers Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns, and René Rast.
As for the car, Mehretu doesn’t think it’s something that should just be exhibited, describing it more like a performative painting: “My BMW Art Car was created in close collaboration with motorsport and engineering teams”, she says. “It is only completed once the race is over.”
