This Is The New BMW Art Car For the 21st Century
Cyrus Dhabhar
1 min read
Jun 01, 2017, 03:49 AM
Key Highlights
- BMW's 18th Art Car in a long iconic lineup that started in 1975
- First ever Art Car by a Chinese Artist Cao Fei
- Art Car based on the new M6 GT3 racecar that is finished in naked carbon
Technology evolves the world and everything in it. And art evolves with it. The BMW art car has seen an evolution from its inception back in 1975 through the decades with greats like Alexander Calder, Sandro Chia and of course, Andy Warhol all the way to 2017. To mark the 100th year of BMW, the German luxury car-maker had commissioned two art cars, one for 2016 and one for 2017. Incidentally, the BMW Art Car from 2016 is number 19, crafted by American modern art legend John Baldessari while this, the brand new Art Car for 2017 is Number 18. We were invited to the Minsheng Museum in Beijing as the only media outlet from India to take a closer look at the Art Car that befits the modernity of the 21st Century!
The new BMW Art Car, created by Cao Fei is unique in its own right. The car, a M6 GT3 finished in naked carbonfibre has been used for this purpose but there isn’t any real art on it so to say. Cao Fei, the first Chinese artist to create a BMW Art Car is a multimedia or digital artist and has used virtual reality to create the Art Car. To view the art, one has to download an app – BMW Art Car #18 from the App Store and point the phone’s camera towards the car. This triggers the art to appear on the screen in all its glory. The art, a set of fancy squiggles and colourful lines (clearly we are not art journalists) become a sort of ‘installation art’ over the car to create the complete digital sculpture. The lines are set to reflect a traditional spiritual ceremony performed common throughout Asia in which new objects such as automobiles are being blessed, in this case wishing good luck to car and driver.
The artist, Cao Fei said, “To me, light represents thoughts. As the speed of thoughts cannot be measured, the #18 Art Car questions the existence of the boundaries of the human mind. We are entering a new age, where the mind directly controls objects and where thoughts can be transferred, such as unmanned operations and artificial intelligence.”
As we mentioned, this is the first ever BMW Art Car that does not really have any art on it. The virtual reality existence of the art is a big step for the BMW Art Car movement to move towards the 21st century.
BMW Art Car by Cao Fei
The new BMW Art Car, created by Cao Fei is unique in its own right. The car, a M6 GT3 finished in naked carbonfibre has been used for this purpose but there isn’t any real art on it so to say. Cao Fei, the first Chinese artist to create a BMW Art Car is a multimedia or digital artist and has used virtual reality to create the Art Car. To view the art, one has to download an app – BMW Art Car #18 from the App Store and point the phone’s camera towards the car. This triggers the art to appear on the screen in all its glory. The art, a set of fancy squiggles and colourful lines (clearly we are not art journalists) become a sort of ‘installation art’ over the car to create the complete digital sculpture. The lines are set to reflect a traditional spiritual ceremony performed common throughout Asia in which new objects such as automobiles are being blessed, in this case wishing good luck to car and driver.
BMW Art Car by Cao Fei
The artist, Cao Fei said, “To me, light represents thoughts. As the speed of thoughts cannot be measured, the #18 Art Car questions the existence of the boundaries of the human mind. We are entering a new age, where the mind directly controls objects and where thoughts can be transferred, such as unmanned operations and artificial intelligence.”
As we mentioned, this is the first ever BMW Art Car that does not really have any art on it. The virtual reality existence of the art is a big step for the BMW Art Car movement to move towards the 21st century.
Related News
Popular BMW Models
Latest Cars
Upcoming Cars
Trending News
Latest News
Jaiveer Mehra | Dec 15, 2025Mahindra XUV 7XO Interior Previewed Ahead Of Debut; Triple Screen Layout ConfirmedNew teaser video provides a glimpse at the facelift XUV 700’s cabin and confirms some of the features.1 min read
Jaiveer Mehra | Dec 15, 20252026 MG Hector Facelift Launched At Rs 11.99 LakhThe latest facelift of MG’s SUV brings tweaks to the styling and cabin, along with a few new features.3 mins read
car&bike Team | Dec 14, 2025Top-Spec Tata Sierra Accomplished, Accomplished+ Prices RevealedRegardless of the powertrain combination chosen, all Tata Sierra Accomplished+ trims cost upwards of Rs 20 lakh (ex-showroom).2 mins read
car&bike Team | Dec 13, 2025Skoda Slavia Facelift Spied Testing Again Ahead Of DebutThe facelifted Slavia is expected to debut in 2026 as Skoda-VW India looks to refresh its India 2.0 range.1 min read
car&bike Team | Dec 13, 20252026 MG Hector Facelift Interior Previewed Ahead Of DebutLatest teaser video of the upcoming Hector facelift suggests minimal cosmetic changes to the interior as well as reveals a new alloy-wheel design.1 min read
Jaiveer Mehra | Dec 13, 2025Passenger Vehicle, Two-Wheeler Sales Surge In November 2025: SIAMBoth segments reported a growth in the region of 20 per cent, though year-to-date sales growth in FY2026 was notably flatter at around 3 per cent.1 min read
Janak Sorap | Dec 11, 2025Harley-Davidson X440 T First Ride Review: Smarter and SharperHarley-Davidson has taken the X440 and given it a more focused and engaging twist. The result is the X440 T—essentially the same platform but updated in areas that give the motorcycle more appeal and riders more thrill.5 mins read
Shams Raza Naqvi | Dec 10, 20252025 Mini Cooper Convertible Review: More Colour On Indian RoadsThe updated Mini Cooper Convertible is set to be launched in the Indian market in the next few days. We drive it around Jaisalmer for a quick review.1 min read
Bilal Firfiray | Dec 8, 2025Tata Sierra Review: India’s New Favourite?Marking its return after a few decades, the reborn Sierra has made everyone sit up and take notice. But is it worth the hype?10 mins read
Girish Karkera | Dec 4, 20252026 Honda Prelude First Drive: Domesticated Civic Type RA sporty-looking coupe built to give customers a taste of performance but not at the expense of everyday practicality.5 mins read
Seshan Vijayraghvan | Nov 29, 2025Mahindra XEV 9S First Drive Review: Big Electric SUV, Bigger ExpectationsThe XEV 9S lands at a time when the EV crowd is growing fast. It’s a big, born-electric, three-row SUV that starts under 20 lakh. It sits close to the XUV700 in size, but the brief is very different. Here’s what it’s like on the road.11 mins read