BMW 5-Series in-depth history

Lots of info from primary sources.

Italian Superstars V8 touring car series

This Eye-talian series beats NASCAR, DTM, even Australian V8 Supercars.  Besides BMW M3s, M5s, and Mercs, and Audis, it's got:

• Maserati Quattrportes, 

• Chevrolet Lumina CR8s (=Pontiac G8/Holden Commodore/Vauxhall VXR8), 

• Chrysler 300Cs, 

• Cadillac CTS-Vs,
• Jaguar XFs, 

• and even a Porsche Panamera S!

Play this for the most exciting 8 minutes of your Sunday:

Here is the official roster.

2010 BMW Z4 Art Car/Canvas

We've seen all of the BMW Art Cars already. How about a BMW as a paint brush?



CKY

BMW Art Cars 16: Eliasson's H2R

Olafur Eliasson thinks he's innovative. Edgy. Hip.

I think he's a blowhard. Preachy. Full of himself.


He was asked to make an Art Car out of the H2R hydrogen concept car. Instead, he enveloped it in a steel cocoon mesh. His message: car design and global warming go hand in hand. Thanks for the message, pal. Next time, just paint the friggin' car. This Art Car single handedly ruined my 16-part series. Barf.

What lies beneath.

CKY

BMW Art Cars 15: Holzer's V12 LMR

Protect Me From What I Want?! Come on, she's (Jenny Holzer) not even trying.

CKY

BMW Art Cars 14: Hockney's 850CSi

For some reason, David Hockney's 850 looks like a cross between a Porsche 928 and a Lamborghini Miura.


CKY

BMW Art Cars 13: Chia's 3 Series Touring Car

Sandro Chia's depiction of graffiti is, IMHO, pedestrian and uninspired. I've seen more interesting doodles on Pee Chee folders in high school.


CKY

BMW Art Cars 12: Mahlangu's 525i

That this BMW was painted by a woman from Africa (South) is apparent even with a quick glance. Esther Mahlangu was inspired by local, traditional means of decorating one's home.



CKY

BMW Art Cars 11: A.R. Penck's Z1

A.R. Penck's Z1, circa 1991. Think cave painting.



CKY

BMW Art Cars 10: Manrique's 730i

Cesar Manrique's 1990 730i is one of my favorites. It's both bold and subtle. Very clean. Well defined shapes. It's a winner.


CKY

BMW Art Cars 9: Kayama's 535i

"Snow, Moon, Flowers". That is the name of Matazo Kayama's 535i. He used an airbrush and little pieces of gold, silver, and aluminum to create this celestial piece.



CKY

BMW Art Cars 8: Done's M3

Another Aussie, Ken Done, was given an M3 to do up. He wanted to express the speed of the E30 M3 and the exotic-ness (is that a word?) of his homeland. His answer: parrots and parrot fish in a shocking 80s color scheme.


CKY

BMW Art Cars 7: Nelson's M3

Michale Jagamarra Nelson is a prolific Australian aborigine artist. He was given a chance to apply his talent to a jet black M3 in 1989.


To the Western eye, the drawings are just geometric shapes. But in fact, they are traditional aboriginal depictions of kangaroos, emus, and geological features meant to convey myths.

Nelson's Kangaroo, Possum, and Snake Dreaming.

CKY

BMW Art Cars 6: Rauschenberg's 635CSi

Rauschenberg's 635CSi is the most anachronistic of the Art Cars. He transferred photographic images of classical paintings onto the BMW E9. Though it has been shown at the Guggenheim, it would look better at a cheesy Greek restaurant as a backdrop.



CKY

BMW Art Cars 5: Fuchs' 635CSi

It's not clear to me whether Ernst Fuchs has a Porsche rim named after him. What is apparent is that he is a disturbed individual. His inspiration for this 6 series is a dream he had when he was five. Oh my.



CKY

BMW Art Cars 4: Warhol's M1

Andy Warhol took a shot at decorating a BMW. He spent 23 minutes painting this M1 supercar in the late 1970s.

Warhol's overalls, with badge and pinstripe, would probably fetch for a pretty penny at auction today, if it's still around.

Though not my favorite Art Car, this is definitely one of the most bold.

CKY

BMW Art Cars 3: Lichtenstein's 320i

Roy Lichtenstein's 1977 320i is akin to his drawings. The big dots are straight out of his comic strips. He describes his work as follows: I used "painted lines as a road, pointing the way for the car. The design also shows the scenery as it passes by. Even the sky and sunlight are to be seen....you could list all the things a car experiences - the only difference is that this car mirrors all these things even before it takes to the road ."

Blam. Brilliant. Bravo.

CKY

P.S. Most of the background information on the BMW Art Cars courtesy BMW Drives.

BMW Art Cars 2: Stella's BMW 3.0 CSL

The second BMW Art Car was created by Frank Stella in 1976. His inspiration-- graph paper.



CKY

BMW Art Cars 1: Calder's BMW 3.0 CSL

American sculptor Alexander Calder, who invented the mobile, created the first BMW Art Car by expressing himself with a few buckets of paint and a BMW 3.0 CSL. The 1975 project was one of Calder's last, as he passed away in '76.


CKY