24h Le Mans
A multicoloured BMW 3.0 made a splash at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car, designed by Alexander Calder and driven by Hervé Poulain failed to reach the finish line, but successfully launched the lineage of BMW Art Cars. Motor racing and art: a winning combination.
Alexander Calder’s artwork on the BMW 3.0 CSL sparked a lasting trend that combines creative expression and powerful machinery.
Art auctioneer and ardent motor racing fan Hervé Poulain had the idea of commissioning an artist to decorate his BMW 3.0 CSL to compete at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans. He chose Alexander Calder, a Francophile American sculptor who had lived in Paris in the 1920s. The result was a splendidly colourful 3.0 CSL. Response was phenomenal and the Art Car was born.
Developed from the 3.0 CS and the 1971 3.0 CSi, the 3.0 CSL was awarded a special racing homologation in 1972. Crowned European Touring Car Champion in 1973, the car was class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and subsequent two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Poulain and his teammates Sam Posey and Jean Guichet had to retire from the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans but not before the Calder-Mobil art had made its mark on all who laid eyes on it.
The BMW 3.0 CSL by Calder was the first of a series of 24 Hours of Le Mans BMW Art Cars that saw liveries by such legends as Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. The German manufacturer became known and respected for its artistic penchant, with iconic designs celebrating the meeting of speed and creativity.
In a tribute to a half-century of fantastic liveries, this year’s Rétromobile show (28 January to 1 February at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles) will be showcasing the seven 24 Hours of Le Mans BMW Art Cars with the BMW 3.0 CSL Calder in pride of place.
Photo: Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
