BMW has unveiled its latest – and 20th – art car that will contest for overall victory at Le Mans. It is of course the BMW M Hybrid V8, with an artistic livery coming courtesy of Julie Mehretu.
BMW M Hybrid V8 art car to race at Le Mans
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A very abstract design, the livery features photographs layered with black markings, neon highlights and dot grids. There’s almost an illusion feel to the way it looks, as if the whole thing is emitting dim light, like you’re watching an old cathode ray tube television.
The livery very intentionally and directly calls upon Mehretu’s painting ‘Everywhen’. “The idea was to make a remix, a mash-up of the painting,” Mehretu said.
“I kept seeing that painting kind of dripping into the car. Even the kidneys of the car inhaled the painting. I don't think of this car as something you would exhibit. I am thinking of it as something that will race in Le Mans. It's a performance painting."
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The car will be presented in the metal at Concorso d’Eleganza alongside six other art cars before making its way to La Sarthe next month. It’ll be in rarified racing art car company, including the stunning 2010 Jeff Koons M3 GT2 and the original Alexander Calder BMW 3.0 CSL.
Most appropriately though will be the M Hybrid V8’s direct predecessor, Jenny Holzer’s V12 LMR art car of 1999, the last BMW art car to battle for overall victory at Le Mans. The M3 GT2 was the last art car to race at Le Mans.
