The BMW Art Car was invented in 1975 by French racing driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain. He thought that instead of conventional race car livery, it would be different to race a car that also served as a canvas for a great artist. He happened to have the car—a BMW 3.0 CSL, and a race—the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a famous artist—his friend, American Alexander Calder, who just happened to be living in France at the time.
Calder created the now-famous design, BMW painted it for Poulain, and then French drivers Poulain and Jean Guichet and American Sam Posey took it to Le Mans and started the 24 Hours. Posey had qualified the car on the class pole, but the car retired in the ninth hour from a broken driveshaft.
The rest is BMW history, as many of us have read or heard many times. But have you seen Hervé Poulain himself talk about it?
This video reflects some brief insights from the man responsible for the first BMW art car.—Scott Blazey
[Photo and video courtesy of BMW AG.]
