The BMW Kuntauto program has long mixed the worlds of art and motorsport and transformed competitive machines into rolling masterpieces. Each artist brings his own vision into the screen of a car. The results are as much cultural statements as they are technically technical. The Monterey Car Week plays hosts for dozens, perhaps hundreds of unique automotive exhibitions. This year BMW brought two very special art cars to take part in the celebrations.
1979 BMW M1 Group 4 racing version
The Andy Warhol Art Car is the fourth Kunstauto ever and probably the most famous. Although the Kuntauto program was only in the initial phase, Warhol managed to fully throw out the rule book. In contrast to other artists of the program, who often drafted on scale models for assistants who later reproduce, Warhol insisted on painting the actual car itself. Warhol has reported the work in just under half an hour. More than 13 pounds based on polymer, which are applied via fingerprints, scratches and other unorthodox techniques, emblazon the body of the car.
Under the bonnet of the 1979 BMW M1 there is a 3.5-liter inline-Six that develops 470 hp. It is sufficient to send the car to a top speed of 307 km/h. The car started in Le Mans and took the sixth overall and second place in the class. It was piloted by Manfred Winkelhock, Herve Poulain and Marcel Mignot.
2024 BMW M Hybrid V8
Like the BMW M1art car, the M -Hybrid -V8 took on Le Mans 24 hours. Although over forty years later. It was premiered in Paris just a few weeks before his race day, where René races piloted it. Unfortunately, the car was pulled due to an accident, so that the legacy of the car is not as legendary as that of the Warhol M1. Where the M -Hybrid -V8 has the M1 -Beat, there is a raw performance. The 2024 BMW M Hybrid V8 advertises with a hybrid drive of 640 hp, with which the car can achieve speeds of up to 345 km/h (214 km/h).
The 2024 BMW M Hybrid V8 was painted by Julie Mehretu. She relied on her painting “Everywenn” to guide her by painting the 20TH Kunstauto in history. “In the studio in which I had the model of the BMW M Hybrid V8, I was sitting in front of the painting,” she says, “and I thought: What would happen if this car seemed to go through this painting and was affected?” The result speaks for itself.
Together, the Warhol BMW M1 and Mehretus M Hybrid V8 show how far the Kuntauto program has come – from raw expressionism in the late 1970s to abstract new interpretations in 2024. Although they are separated by more than four decades, both cars have the same spirit: a celebration of speed, creativity and innovation, racing and art.
