The 40th anniversary of the BMW Art Car series will feature the youngest and the oldest artists ever selected to take part in the long standing melding of the art and automotive worlds.
The BMW Art Car Collection looks to combine “cutting-edge technology and inspiring art,” using BMWs as the canvas for artists to explore. Previous renowned artists that took part in the BMW series include Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and David Hockney.
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BMW’s jury of museum directors and curators chose two artists to design one car each. This year’s chosen creators were Chinese artist Cao Fei (born 1978) and American artist John Baldessari (born 1931). Together, they make up the youngest and oldest artists represented in the collection.
Both artists will create a BMW M6 GT3 in 2016. The newly designed vehicles will end up in museums in 2017 before proving themselves on actual racetracks.
As for the 2016 BMW M6 GT3, it will be the main ride available to the BMW customer racing program. Powered by a 4.4 liter, 585 horsepower V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology, the racing spec M6 GT3 are specially tuned for track use.
Further technical improvements in the car include the transaxle drive concept, six-speed sequential racing transmission and high-performance motorsport electronics. The aerodynamic properties of the chassis were shaped in the BMW wind tunnel.
The two cars the chosen BMW artists will personalize are internally identical to any other racing M6 GT3. Once their unique exteriors are complete, the art cars will join their sisters on the race track.
