BMW to Race 20th Art Car at 2024 Le Mans

BMW will team up with artist Julie Mehretu to create a BMW M Hybrid V8 Art Car for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Mehretu, an Ethiopian-born, New York-based artist, was unanimously chosen by a panel consisting of museum directors and curators to create the car’s livery for next year’s edition of the French endurance classic.

The collaboration between Mehretu and BMW was announced at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, with an all-carbon M Hybrid V8 on display.

BMW’s V8-powered LMDh car will make its debut at Le Mans in 2024 with BMW M Team WRT.

The Belgian squad recently completed its first test with the car at Motorland Aragon, with an assortment of factory drivers behind the wheel.

“I’ve loved cars for most of my life, as toys, as objects, as possibilities,” said Mehretu.

“It is from that space that I’m really excited to be working on the next BMW Art Car more than anything.

“The thrill of the speed, the 24 Hour race of Le Mans and what is possible to invent in hybrid and fully electric vehicles as future modes of play and pushing ahead into new terrains of transportation and motorsports.”

Mehretu will be responsible for the 20th art car, carrying on a tradition that started with a livery designed by American artist Alexander Calder on a BMW 3.0 CSL for the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans.

More recent examples include John Baldessari’s BMW M6 GT3 designed for the 2016 Rolex 24 at Daytona, Cao Fei’s “digital” design for the 2017 FIA GT Cup at Macau and the Jeff Koons BMW M3 GT2 that competed in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The last time one of the manufacturer’s top-class prototypes was selected to become an Art Car was in 1999, when BMW revealed a Jenny Holzer-designed V12 LMR.

”The BMW Art Car Collection is a central element of our global cultural commitment, which has been in place for more than 50 years,” said Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG for Human Resources and Real Estate.

“The combination of technology and art, of design and motorsport sparks a timeless fascination.

“I have admired Julie Mehretu’s work for many years. I am particularly pleased that our cooperation will have a lasting cultural impact beyond the vehicle she has designed, especially in Africa.”