BMW has unveiled their Art Car livery which will appear on the #20 M Hybrid V8 Hypercar entrant for the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15-16 June.
A partnership with artist Julie Mehretu, BMW has produced a “performative painting” with the #20, as well as on the race suits of drivers Robin Frijns, Sheldon van der Linde, and Rene Rast.
In addition to celebrating the Bavarian make’s 20th Art Car, it will mark their first top class sportscar appearance at the French classic since the 1999 edition in the LMP900 category which signified their only Le Mans victory to-date.
The #15 and #20 BMW-WRT Hypercar entries have competed in all three rounds of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship so far, as the #20 scored their best finish of sixth at the 6 Hours of Imola.
“The BMW Art Cars are an essential part of our global cultural commitment,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.
“For almost 50 years, we have been collaborating with artists who are just as fascinated by mobility and design as they are by technology and motorsports.
“Julie Mehretu’s vision for a racing car is an extraordinarily strong contribution to our BMW Art Cars series.”
Mehretu explained her approach: “The whole BMW Art Car project is about invention, about imagination, about pushing limits of what can be possible.
“I don’t think of this car as something you would exhibit.
“I am thinking of it as something that will race at Le Mans. It’s a performative painting.
“My BMW Art Car was created in close collaboration with motorsport and engineering teams. It is only completed once the race is over.”
French racing driver Herve Poulain was said to have begun the ‘Art Car’ trend in 1975 on his #93 BMW 3.0 CSL with a design produced by Alexander Calder.
Poulain competed in that year’s Le Mans with teammates Sam Posey and Jean Guichet before they retired after nine hours due to a transmission issue.
Meanwhile the most recent Art Car was with the M6 GTLM at the 2016 24 Hours of Daytona, thus marking an eight-year gap since such a livery was run.
Most crucially, this year’s 92nd running of Le Mans will feature the most Hypercars since the inception of the category in 2021 as the #20 will be one of 23 top class entries.
Stay tuned for an expanded gallery of the 20th BMW Art Car tomorrow on Motorsport Week.
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