Ultimate dynamic performance:The BMW M Hybrid V8 Art Car

Just a few weeks before the great racing campaign in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, BMW Group Classic presents the 20th BMW Art Car at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2024. The BMW M Hybrid V8 styled by the American abstract painter Julie Mehretu first celebrated its world premiere at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and will compete with start number 20 in the legendary race at Le Mans on 15th and 16th June.

Julie Mehretu melds an image motif derived from a recent painting in a series of works with the racing car to create a unique rolling work of art on wheels. The artist transfers the vocabulary of colour and form of an existing monumental abstract painting entitled “Everywhen” (2023) using a 3D mapping technique onto the contours of the BMW M Hybrid V8. The result is a unique artistic foiling of the racing car created by mapping obscured photographs, dotted grids, neon-coloured spray paint and Mehretu’s iconic gestural markings onto the contours of the vehicle.

Julia Mehretu creates a unique foiling for the 20th BMW Art Car.

Julie Mehretu’s paintings, drawings and prints present the viewer with a dynamic visual articulation of contemporary experience. Her large-scale works include engagement with the symbolism of mobility and dynamic movement. Julie Mehretu has received numerous awards for her works, including the MacArthur Award and the U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts Award. Julie Mehretu is represented throughout the world by the Marian Goodman Gallery and she also exhibits at White Cube, London, and Carlier Gebauer, Berlin.

Since 1975, artists including Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons, Cao Fei and John Baldessari have designed racing cars for BMW. A BMW Art Car is once again entering the endurance race in France to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hour Race of Le Mans and 25 years after the last victory by BMW at Le Mans. The team is made up of Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Robin Frijns (NED) and René Rast (GER).

First look of the dotted grid design.

The BMW M Hybrid V8 is the latest racing car from BMW M GmbH to compete in endurance racing and it is powered by a Hybrid drive system packing some 640 hp. The 4.0 litre engine is supported by an electric motor (top speed up to: up 345 km/h or 215 mph, depending on the layout of the race track). The prototype racing car weighs in at just 1,030 kilograms and is a flagship for signature M performance and the epitome of fascination for electrified drivetrains.