Monday 23rd July 2012

BMW Art Cars hit London

Fancy combining cars and culture this weekend? Pop along to Shoreditch and check out BMW's famous Art Car collection

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If you fancy impressing a few culture snobs, here’s a way you can boast of heading off this weekend to trendy (it says here) Shoreditch to go and look at art by David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein and others while actually enjoying a PH-worthy day out. True, you’ll actually be going to a ‘brutalist’ old multi-storey car park in East London to look at a load of old BMWs. But they don’t need to know that.

Warhol M1 is one of the best known Art Cars

What we’ve got here is a pleasing side show to BMW’s mega-budget Olympics sponsorship in the shape of a visit to the UK by the amazing ‘Art Cars’ – Beemers famously decorated by some of the most celebrated artists of the past four decades in spectacular style.

Unveiled with an appearance by the stunning M3 GT2 created by Jeff Koons and raced at Le Mans in 2010, the collection will be on display at the Great Eastern Street car park – described by exhibition organisers the ICA as a ‘brutalist landmark’ – from Saturday July 21 until August 4.  

A taster of what you’ll get to see can be found in the film below, made by BMW to celebrate the collection for an online audience. The chance to appreciate them in the metal is too good to be missed though!

 

[Denver09]

These art cars are fascinating. I used to drive past Munich Legends in East Sussex and see one or two in their window.

[Alucidnation]

[marcosgt]

What? You philistine!

I might even go and see these this weekend, cheaper than a trip to Munich (if a lot less fun! )

Which cars are actually going to be there?

M.

Edited by marcosgt on Friday 20th July 15:40

[soad]

Love the art cars!
Shame it's not local to me.

[z4chris99]

I've had some great raves in that car park.

local to me, will pop down and have a looksy

[Pistonwot]

How pretentious,,,, soooooo mincing and so well suited to BMW

[freedman]

Forget the paintwork

You dont get many chances to see a full race spec M1, CSL, G5 3 series in the same place etc

[garypotter]

Agree with pistonwot above

That M1 looks superb but without the trashy paint work, they ruin a beautiful car.

[rdjohn]

freedman said:

Forget the paintwork

You dont get many chances to see a full race spec M1, CSL, G5 3 series in the same place etc

There were a few at Le Mans Classic

Here is something of interest to racers http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/07/to-the-batmobi...

[Mark-C]

freedman said:

Forget the paintwork

You dont get many chances to see a full race spec M1, CSL, G5 3 series in the same place etc

This ... but I like the paintwork as well. They were all interesting and different at the time they were done.

As for Shoreditch ... when did "trendy" become shorthand for "godforesaken stehole" ??

[marcosgt]

I'm astonished by some of the comments on this thread...

Maybe I shouldn't be after all this time, but really... A Roy Litchenstein Group 5 BMW 320 is 'pretentious' and 'mincing'... Clearly you must drive something a-fking-mazing then!

M

[WillBrumBrum]

Thanks PH for bringing this to my attention. Here's the address that both the press release and the journalist seemed to miss out:

21 July 2012 - 4 August 2012, 12 - 9pm, FREE entry, Great Eastern Street Car Park, Shoreditch, London, London EC2A 3ER. Nearest tube: Old Street or Shoreditch High Street (overground)

Edited to add the website that lists all the cars: http://artdrive.mango.tincan.co.uk/history

[Pistonwot]

marcosgt said:

I'm astonished by some of the comments on this thread...

Maybe I shouldn't be after all this time, but really... A Roy Litchenstein Group 5 BMW 320 is 'pretentious' and 'mincing'... Clearly you must drive something a-fking-mazing then!

M

NO, my car is soooooooo utterly a-fking-mazing I want to it all over. That makes me
You can hang out the arse end of any artist you like, doesnt make it my thang.

[marcosgt]

Pistonwot said:

marcosgt said:

I'm astonished by some of the comments on this thread...

Maybe I shouldn't be after all this time, but really... A Roy Litchenstein Group 5 BMW 320 is 'pretentious' and 'mincing'... Clearly you must drive something a-fking-mazing then!

M

NO, my car is soooooooo utterly a-fking-mazing I want to it all over. That makes me
You can hang out the arse end of any artist you like, doesnt make it my thang.

If they weren't painted by artists, would you not find the cars interesting in any way?

Perhaps you're on the wrong forum? Or were you bothered by your Art Teacher at school?

M

[M666 EVO]

Mark-C said:

freedman said:

Forget the paintwork

You dont get many chances to see a full race spec M1, CSL, G5 3 series in the same place etc

This ... but I like the paintwork as well. They were all interesting and different at the time they were done.

As for Shoreditch ... when did "trendy" become shorthand for "godforesaken stehole" ??

You live in Norfolk? And you are calling Shoreditch a godforesaken sthole? Brilliant!

Annnnnnnnnnnyway, the picture is taken on the Southbank. Or was it sourced from an archive? They are quite far away from each other...

I love these BMWs, especially the one Clarkson designed

• awaits barrage of abuse*

[sleep envy]

M666 EVO said:

Mark-C said:

As for Shoreditch ... when did "trendy" become shorthand for "godforesaken stehole" ??

You live in Norfolk? And you are calling Shoreditch a godforesaken sthole? Brilliant!

[NickXX]

M666 EVO said:

Annnnnnnnnnnyway, the picture is taken on the Southbank. Or was it sourced from an archive? They are quite far away from each other...

No, it's in More London (just south of Tower Bridge). Around 1-2 miles directly south of Shoreditch.

I'm looking forward to having a nose at this.

[scholesy]

Never really gotten art cars, I would agree they are a bit "mincing" (that word needs more use). A well designed car in a nice colour is art enough, car design itself can be art just as much as any sculpture or architecture, I don't see the need for lines all over the car to break up the design, a bit like those masks they put on prototypes to hide the true lines to be honest.

[Jellymonster]

The Frank Stella 3.0 CSL is amazing... I love the Lichtenstein group 5 as well... and yes, the paintwork does make the car far more interesting to look at.

[court]

I thoroughly recommend a visit to the BMW museum in Munich. Best €9 I've ever spent. (Plus the price of the copious amount of booze drunk the night before!)

There's normally a couple of art cars there at any one time when the full collection isn't being shown anywhere else.