JEFF!

Can a car really be a work of art? Let’s examine some evidence. In a landmark 2019 legal hearing brought by Ferrari against the Ares coachbuilder, an Italian court decreed that the 250 GTO was exactly that and therefore could not be imitated or reproduced. At $50m-plus, its monetary value is on a par with some of humankind’s greatest artistic achievements, if monetary value is your preferred metric.

So that’s the car as art. But what of the art car? The vehicle you see here is the 8 X Jeff Koons BMW, a car that tests the thesis by being available in a run of 99, and bears the unmistakable and mischievous imprimatur of one of the world’s top artists. And showmen.

BMW has form here, having created 19 art cars since American artist Alexander Calder treated a 3.0 CSL as a mobile canvas in 1975. BMW raced it at Le Mans that year. “The public loved the idea. It was easy to understand, and it looked rather like a kid’s drawing, with very bright colours.