As if you needed any more reasons to visit Paris, BMW has a real treat for art car fans. The iconic vehicle, which began the long-running series in 1975, takes center stage at the Hôtel de la Marine, a historic building on Place de la Concorde. You have until January 26th to admire Alexander Calder’s 3.0 CSL in the hotel’s courtyard, open daily from 8 a.m. to midnight.
If you’re planning a trip to the French capital a few days later, Rétromobile is the place to go for classic car lovers. This year it brings together all seven BMW Art Cars that competed at Le Mans. This lineup includes not only Alexander Calder’s CSL, but also Frank Stella’s version, which was launched in 1976. A year later, Roy Lichtenstein’s 320i Turbo conquered the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe and will also be seen at the show in the City of Lights.
In chronological order, the four remaining BMW Art Cars are Andy Warhol’s M1 (1979), Jenny Holzer’s V12 LMR (1999), Jeff Koons’ M3 GT2 (2010) and Julie Mehretu’s M Hybrid V8 (2024). It’s also worth noting that 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of Rétromobile, typically the first major classic car show of the season.
With the original Art Car at the Hôtel de la Marine and six additional vehicles at Rétromobile at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, BMW can continue the celebrations that began in 2025 when the Art Car collection celebrated its 50th anniversary. There are 20 rolling works of art in total, and we hope the day will come when they will all be displayed in one place.
However, it is easy to understand what a huge logistical effort this would be, as even getting a third of the collection to Rétromobile must have been a challenge. It makes perfect sense for BMW to showcase these racing cars in France, as the Art Car initiative was started by local racing driver Hervé Poulain. He was the one who approached BMW in the first place. The rest, as they say, is history.
