BMW Motorsport has announced that their No. 20 Team WRT’s M Hybrid V8 Hypercar will be participating in the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours race as the brand’s 20th ‘Art Car’. The unique design for the No. 20 car, which will be driven by Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns, and René Rast, will be unveiled at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France on May 21st.
The car’s new color scheme is being created by American artist Julie Mehretu, who is collaborating with BMW on a three-dimensional format for the first time. According to a statement from BMW, Mehretu’s design incorporates elements such as obscured photographs, dotted grids, neon-colored spray paint, and her signature gestural markings, resulting in an abstract visual representation.
To bring the design to life on the BMW M Hybrid V8, the artwork will be transferred as a high-resolution photograph onto the vehicle’s contours using a 3D mapping technique. This process will create a unique artistic foiling that will be showcased during the Le Mans race.
In compliance with FIA regulations, the 3D version of the artwork will be applied to the BMW M Hybrid V8 using a film wrap. Mehretu is collaborating closely with the German Race Spirit team, led by Manuel Eberl and Gertraud Brenninger, to realize the design. Race Spirit has previously been involved in bringing Jeff Koons’ design for the 17th BMW Art Car to life.
Mehretu shared her inspiration for the BMW Art Car, stating that attending the 24 Hours race in Daytona last year helped solidify her approach. She drew inspiration from Frank Stella’s grid and wanted to pay homage to previous BMW Art Car artists. The idea of having the car move through one of her paintings in her studio also played a role in her creative process.
BMW’s last Art Car was in 2017, with a BMW M6 GTLM designed by John Baldessari participating in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. Additionally, a ‘virtual’ BMW M6 GT3 Art Car by Cao Fei competed in the FIA GT World Cup in Macau. This announcement follows the recent reveal of BMW Team WRT’s full driver lineup for the 2024 season. The team will be running multiple cars in various classes in both the FIA WEC and World Challenge Europe championships.