BMW rolls out a Le Mans-inspired art car

The BMW art collection is now 20 vehicles strong thanks to this anniversary example designed by Julie Mehretu, a North American artist of Ethiopian descent known for her abstract art experiments.

The car is based on a prototype racecar known as the M Hybrid V8, which will take part in the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans race decorated like this. According to Mehretu, she took one of her earlier artworks exhibited at the NYC Museum of Modern Art and tried to project it onto the car body to convey a sense of motion and energy. The idea was born when she imagined the racecar driven straight through the canvas. She then came up with multiple livery patterns, overlaid and meshed them together, and 3D-mapped the result onto the car.

The Bavarian automaker’s 20th art car will be taking part in the Le Mans marathon under the starting number 20. Mehretu says her project won’t feel truly complete until the race is finished. The future fate of the car is unknown, but we would imagine it exhibited in the company’s museum along with the rest.

Before it celebrates its Le Mans debut, the M Hybrid V8 will briefly visit the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como in Italy.