Homage to Andy Warhol on four wheels: His BMW Art Car with co-driver Frank Stella live at the Hockenheimring during the Formula l Grand Prix.

Munich/Hockenheim. During the German Formula 1 Grand Prix, BMW will be
paying very special homage to the legendary pop artist Andy Warhol. To
mark the 30th anniversary of the BMW M1, Warhol's BMW Art Car (1979)
will again be taking to the starting grid. The setting for the
celebration is the revival of the most spectacular stable trophy in
racing history - the BMW M1 Procar series. Both on 19th and 20th July
2008, ten of these cars will be on the starting grid in Hockenheim.
Jochen Neerpasch, former head of BMW Motorsport GmbH and initiator of
BMW M1 development, will take Andy Warhol's Art Car round the track on a
few of laps of honour. During this spectacular ride, the co-pilot is
also bound to look pretty impressive. Frank Stella is not only one of
the most significant artists of the 20th century, but also an
enthusiastic racing car driver. Moreover, three years before Warhol, he
himself designed the BMW 3.0 CSL, a "rolling work of art"
which raced at Le Mans in 1976. Warhol himself was just as enthusiastic
as usual: "I love that car. It has turned out better than the
artwork". Instead of first designing a scale model and leaving the
final completion to his assistants as his predecessors did, the pop art
legend painted the BMW M1 from the beginning to the end himself - and
signed on the wet paint using his fingers. "If a car is really
fast, all contours and colours will become blurred". Warhol's BMW
Art Car is certainly the most well-known work of art in the collection.
The M1 shines with bright, thickly applied colours: Red, green, blue and
yellow - as a colourful expression of the artist's intention to create a
visual image of movement. The pop artwork is the last Art Car to take to
the starting grid at the legendary 24-hour race at Le Mans, setting the
gleaming blaze of colour into movement live on the racetrack. The 470
bhp car sporting the number "76" seized an outstanding sixth
place in the overall rating and was second in its class. During this
period, the pilots, Hervé Poulain, Marcel Mignot and Manfred
Winkelhock clocked up 3,874.837 kilometres in the M1, achieving an
average speed of 163.386 km/h. Now the car is on the racetrack once
again. "This is the fulfilment of a dream for us. Of course, we are
fully aware of the responsibility towards the Art Cars as works of art.
But Warhol's M1 really also belongs on the racetrack and we are very
happy to make this exception on the occasion of the anniversary
year", explains a thrilled Karl Baumer, head of BMW Group Classic.
BMW Motorsport Chief Mario Theissen is also looking forward to the
Procar race: "30 years ago, the M1 was presented as the first
independent car of the BMW Motorsport GmbH of that time. A racing car
that BMW customers could also drive on the road - this was a unique
project which also posed some problems with the authorities. No one
expected the BMW M1 Procar series to become such a huge success. Just
mentioning it still sparks enthusiasm today. This comeback is a token of
our gratitude to fans." With Warhol's car and Frank Stella driving
it, the event is also a token of gratitude to all art lovers. And a
highlight for the BMW Art Car Collection: The corporate collection,
which was established in 1975, now comprises 16 works by renowned
artists, including the likes of David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert
Rauschenberg and, most recently, Olafur Eliasson. All of them created in
the form of a "rolling sculpture" a unique artistic statement
on the image and significance of the automobile of our day and age.
Furthermore, the first artists made the racing car an integral part of
their creativity. This was originally initiated by the French racing
driver Hervé Poulain, likewise a collector and auctioneer who was
well-acquainted with artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Liechtenstein and
Robert Rauschenberg. During the early 1970s, Poulain was the first to
commission an artist - namely Alexander Calder - with the design of his
racing car. This kick-off led to the development of the long-lasting BMW
Art Car programme. In addition to being permanently showcased at the
Munich BMW Museum, automobiles from this collection have been exhibited
at numerous museums and galleries all over the world, including the
Louvre in Paris, Palazzo Grassi in Venice and the Guggenheim Museums in
New York and Bilbao. Further information regarding the international
cultural commitment is available at: www.bmwgroup.com/culture For
questions please contact: Corporate Communications Further information
on our media website www.press.bmw-motorsport.com (press releases, press
kits, images, TV footage) as well as on our official team website
www.bmw-sauber-f1.com (car, season, Race Club, information on our team).
Contact person on site: Susanne Spatz, Spokesperson Sports
Communication; Cell: +49 173 6776867 Manfred Grunert, Spokesperson
History and ConnectedDrive; Cell: +49 151 12218517 Thomas Girst,
Spokesperson Cultural Communications Telefon: +49 89 382 24753, Fax: +49
89 382 28017 Media Website: www.press.bmwgroup.com,
www.bmwgroup.com/culture e-mail: presse@bmw.de Warhol himself was just
as enthusiastic as usual: "I love that car. It has turned out
better than the artwork". Instead of first designing a scale model
and leaving the final completion to his assistants as his predecessors
did, the pop art legend painted the BMW M1 from the beginning to the end
himself - and signed on the wet paint using his fingers. "If a car
is really fast, all contours and colours will become blurred".
Warhol's BMW Art Car is certainly the most well-known work of art in the
collection. The M1 shines with bright, thickly applied colours: Red,
green, blue and yellow - as a colourful expression of the artist's
intention to create a visual image of movement. The pop artwork is the
last Art Car to take to the starting grid at the legendary 24-hour race
at Le Mans, setting the gleaming blaze of colour into movement live on
the racetrack. The 470 bhp car sporting the number "76" seized
an outstanding sixth place in the overall rating and was second in its
class. During this period, the pilots, Hervé Poulain, Marcel
Mignot and Manfred Winkelhock clocked up 3,874.837 kilometres in the M1,
achieving an average speed of 163.386 km/h. Now the car is on the
racetrack once again. "This is the fulfilment of a dream for us. Of
course, we are fully aware of the responsibility towards the Art Cars as
works of art. But Warhol's M1 really also belongs on the racetrack and
we are very happy to make this exception on the occasion of the
anniversary year", explains a thrilled Karl Baumer, head of BMW
Group Classic. BMW Motorsport Chief Mario Theissen is also looking
forward to the Procar race: "30 years ago, the M1 was presented as
the first independent car of the BMW Motorsport GmbH of that time. A
racing car that BMW customers could also drive on the road - this was a
unique project which also posed some problems with the authorities. No
one expected the BMW M1 Procar series to become such a huge success.
Just mentioning it still sparks enthusiasm today. This comeback is a
token of our gratitude to fans." With Warhol's car and Frank
Stella driving it, the event is also a token of gratitude to all art
lovers. And a highlight for the BMW Art Car Collection: The corporate
collection, which was established in 1975, now comprises 16 works by
renowned artists, including the likes of David Hockney, Roy
Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and, most recently, Olafur Eliasson.
All of them created in the form of a "rolling sculpture" a
unique artistic statement on the image and significance of the
automobile of our day and age. Furthermore, the first artists made the
racing car an integral part of their creativity. This was originally
initiated by the French racing driver Hervé Poulain, likewise a
collector and auctioneer who was well-acquainted with artists such as
Andy Warhol, Roy Liechtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. During the early
1970s, Poulain was the first to commission an artist - namely Alexander
Calder - with the design of his racing car. This kick-off led to the
development of the long-lasting BMW Art Car programme. In addition to
being permanently showcased at the Munich BMW Museum, automobiles from
this collection have been exhibited at numerous museums and galleries
all over the world, including the Louvre in Paris, Palazzo Grassi in
Venice and the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao.