Recently, BMW presented its twentieth Art Car in Paris. At the “Centre Pompidou”, the curtain was pulled back on the BMW M V8 Hybrid Hypercar that, with start number 20, will participate in the 24 hours of Le Mans.

Artist Julie Mehretu was chosen by an international jury of museum directors and curators to create the twentieth BMW Art Car. Just under 50 years ago, also in Paris, the very first BMW Art Car was presented: a 30 CSL by Alexander Calder. We go back in time to let you experience with us how it all came to fruition.

Can art and cars be linked? Of course, some cars are even art. Think of a Ferrari 250 GTO or a Lamborghini Muira. Timeless creations with their own identity that even look like a sculpture. Others, in turn, are elevated to art. Here, the artist takes over the designer’s place to create a work of art on his car. The latter certainly include the 19 pieces of the BMW Art Car Collection. The three founders of this collection are Hervé Poulain ( idea and art knowledge ), Jochen Neerpasch ( director BMW Motorsport ) and Walter Maurer ( the executor ).

HERVE POULAIN

The original idea came from Frenchman Hervé Poulain, a still young auctioneer/art expert and amateur car pilot. Today, Poulain is the big man behind the auction house Artcurial where, despite his now advanced age of 83, he still swings the hammer. He wants to bring art to the 24 Hours of Le Mans by using the car as a canvas and participating in it as a pilot himself. An original idea, but Hervé did not own a car. Then again, he had connections with possible artists. He talked about his idea with Jean Todt ( then a rally navigator and later Ferrari F1 boss and FIA president ) who knew a suitable partner for Poulain. Todt co-piloted Achim Warmbold in a BMW 2002 from BMW Motorsport in 1973. His boss at the time was Jochen Neerpasch. Todt advised Poulain to contact BMW Motorsport in Munich.

JOCHEN NEERPASCH

Jochen Neerpasch has been the managing director, sporting director and co-founder of BMW Motorsport since 1972. After a successful career as a car pilot, he decided to take up the position of team boss fairly early on. First at Ford in Cologne and then at BMW in Munich. He immediately achieved great success in the debut year of 1973: BMW finally wins the European touring car championship with the 30CSL against Ford, and in Formula 2, the European champion also comes from the BMW stable. In the World Rally Championship, the 2002 BMW wins the Alpenfahrt in Austria. Neerpasch’s wife owns an art gallery and this, according to Todt, made him the ideal interlocutor for Poulain. And Todt was right. Neerpasch listened attentively to Poulain’s proposal but he did not have a car available for the artwork. In 1975, the entire BMW Motorsport team was based in US Alabama. At the time, most Americans still thought that the B stood for British Motor Works and that urgently needed to change. BMW, with Bavarian Motor Works on the windscreen, competed in the US IMSA GT championship against Porsche 911 Carreras and American exotics like the Corvette and the Camaro. And the Americans will soon understand because already in the second race, Hans Stuck, Brian Redman, Allan Moffat and Sam Posey win the all-important 12 hours of Sebring. Neerpasch sees the art project of Poulain anyway and has a brand new 30CSL built for the 24 hours of Le Mans. BMW will also provide the necessary assistance. Poulain just needs to bring in an artist.

ALEXANDER CALDER

Poulain turns to Alexander Calder, an American born in 1898, who arrived in Paris in 1926. He comes from a family of sculptors. Father and grandfather Calder were well-known sculptors. In Paris, he has a lot of contact with Joan Miro and Piet Mondrian, among others. With the latter, he designs his “mobiles”, a kind of floating artworks. These mobiles made him famous. He also creates abstract sculptures to which he adds movement. In 1958, at the Open Air Museum Middelheim in Antwerp, “The Dog”, a work of art by Calder, is placed. Also at the Kunstberg in Brussels, with The Wirling Ear, there has been a sculpture by Alexander Calder since 1997.

Calder creates a design on a scale model of the BMW CSL provided by Poulain. He uses primary colours to accentuate the movements typical of him.

WALTER MAURER

Calder may be responsible for the design, but Walter Maurer will take care of the execution. He was the man who provided all BMW Motorsport cars with their racing suits in the 1970s and 1980s. Every BMW racing car, with the famous BMW M stripes, was then of his signature design. He makes sure the miniature’s design is on the real CSL.

Calder then applies his signature to the CSL’s left rear sports board. Maurer will paint several more BMW Art Cars after Calder. He is a specialist gun painter and also possesses artistic qualities. Later, he will also realise his own designs on various BMW models.

The official presentation will take place in Paris. The 30CSL is presented there at the “Museum des Arts Décoratifs” to both art and racing enthusiasts. The reception is positive and Alexander Calder is also very enthusiastic. He will even travel to Le Mans to see his artwork in action.

24 UREN LE MANS 1975

Then it’s off to Le Mans for the Calder CSL. There, on 14 and 15 June, it will take part in the 24-hour race in the TS class which stands for “Tourisme Spéciale”. The Calder will be given the starting number 93 and, apart from this numbering and the obligatory Le Mans participation sticker, will not carry any publicity. Even of the normal tyre or oil supplier stickers there is no trace. Besides Hervé Poulain, American Sam Posey is the top driver on the car. He drives an identical car in the US IMSA championship. Third man is the now elderly Jean Guichet. He won this race in the magical year 1964, together with Italian Nino Vacarella, at the wheel of a Ferrari 275 P.

And Posey immediately provides fireworks. He qualifies the Calder, with a time of 4.06.0, in starting position 11 among all the proto violence and well ahead of the first GT Porsche 911 Carrera RSR that takes ten seconds more for the same lap. Alexander Calder follows his car from the control tower and thoroughly enjoys his fastest work of art. He gives another tip to the drivers before the start saying: make sure you win but still drive as slow as possible. So as not to damage anything.

At 4pm the starting flag falls and there is an immediate problem for the Calder. A loose spark plug lead causes a first pit stop and the work of art starts last. Sam Posey begins a catch-up chase that will bring the Calder back to the front of the standings. He hands over the car, in fifth position, to Hervé Poulain who then starts his first Le Mans.

A broken homokinetic cardan rubber unfortunately caused the Calder CSL to be left along the track shortly after 10pm on Saturday night. The CSL will never compete again after that. It does, however, have a new career ahead that will take it to all the great museums of the world. The Calder is welcome everywhere and becomes a world traveller. Even our own Belgium is visited twice with an exhibition at Antwerp’s Middelheim museum and more recently in 2018 in Knokke at the Artville festival. The CSL is one of Alexander Calder’s last works. He dies, aged 78, a year after taking part in Le Mans.

ARTIST’S PROOF

Calder liked the 30CSL so much that he wanted one himself. This was no longer realised in 1975. Calder’s death was of course no stranger to this. 45 years later, though, his dream will come true. In 2020, in the first major lockdown, a second copy of the Calder CSL will be built and painted. In ordinary terms, we then speak of a replica or copy but in the art world this has a different name with: Artist’s Proof. The idea, in this case, is that the artist then keeps the extra work of art in his own possession.

CALDER FOUNDATION

Since the artist himself is no longer alive, it was the heir who had to grant permission, and here it is the Calder Foundation. This was actually no problem given that the “Artist’s Proof” version would then become their property anyway. BMW Classic had a racing CSL prepared at specialist Ostermaier. The white car then leaves for Walter Maurer’s workshop. There, BMW also supplies the original Calder so everything can be meticulously mapped out. Choosing the colours and applying the lines obviously have to be done perfectly and then the real painting work follows. For those who want to take a look at this, we can recommend the following video. Definitely recommended!

The now 79-year-old Maurer once again delivers splendid work. The new and old Calder are perfect reflections of each other. Jochen Neerpasch himself comes to unveil the new “extra” artwork.

This 30CSL AP is now owned by the Calder Foundation. It will make its first appearance before the general public, at the Alexander Calder “Minimal/Maximal” expo in Berlin, on 22 August 2021. The intention is also to show the car to as many people as possible. Any interested museums can apply for a temporary expo and the Calder Foundation will then make the car available. This is a tradition in the art world. The Artist’s Proof version will also be given the same chassis number as the original Calder CSL. The chassis number 2,275,592 is now followed by: /AF for Artist’s Proof.

The first BMW Art Car was such a success that BMW simply continued the tradition the following year. The recently deceased Frank Stella will provide the design for number 2. Walter Maurer will once again do the painting and other renowned artists such as Lichtenstein, Warhol and Kroons will provide a BMW Art Car to take part in Le Mans.

De Meest recente is deze BMW M Hybrid V8 die door Julie Mehretu werd afgeleverd. Zij zocht voor dit ontwerp onder meer inspiratie in de vorige BMW Art Cars. De M V8 zal deelnemen aan de 24 uren van Le Mans 2024. Hiermee is het de zesde BMW Art Car die in deze mythische wedstrijd de start zal nemen.

Artikel: Joris De Cock
Foto’s: Joris De Cock
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