Jeff Koons, an American artist, and BMW have had many years of association, going back 12 years to the time when Koons created the 17th BMW Art Car. Since that time, he wanted to create a special edition of a BMW model as a personal project and finally, he got his wish with THE 8 X JEFF KOONS.
Only 99 units of this exclusive edition based on the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe will be available. Describe, as a ‘rolling sculpture’ by Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, it is the most elaborately designed vehicle in all of BMW’s history.
11 different exterior colours
The expressive and striking design combines 11 different exterior colours, ranging from blue to silver as well as from yellow to black. The multi-coloured interior uses high-end materials, fine leather and the cupholder lid includes edition badging and the artist’s signature. The seats are made up of the striking red and blue which reflects the colours of superheroes from the comic book universe as well as those of the company’s high-performance unit, BMW M.
Overall, the energetic and powerful design includes both elements of pop art as well as geometric patterns paying homage to the sporty 8-Series Gran Coupe’s intricate contours and shape. The exploding lines of colour at the rear, in turn, are their own unmediated homage to the artist’s 2010 BMW Art Car, while the ‘POP!’ on each side as well as the vapour thrust imagery symbolize the power and speed, according to the artist.
Over 200 hours of manual work
Over 200 hours of manual work were spent by highly specialized professionals at two BMW Group plants on the exterior paintwork alone, where the colour samples were often applied with magnifying glasses. Dozens of engineers and designers were involved and Koons had many days of discussions on design options with the BMW employees involved.
“I was thinking very intensely about it: What is the essence of the 8-Series Gran Coupe? What is the essence of power? How to create something that exemplifies all the energy of the BMW 8 Series that is also able to touch upon the human element?” he said.
The original 850i was the first model of the 8-Series launched in 1990 and was celebrated as creating a new perspective of progress in advanced motoring, appealing to the connoisseur who acknowledges elegance and performance as the ultimate blend of perfection. THE 8 X JEFF KOONS also continues this tradition.
The original 8-Series launched in 1990.
The artist’s dream car realised
“My edition of the BMW 8-Series is my dream car! It is very special to me and I’ve wanted to create a special edition BMW for a long time. It is sporty and flashy as well as minimalist and conceptual. I can’t wait to drive it and ride in it, and I hope that people will enjoy the Gran Coupe just as much as I do,” said Koons.
“On the car, the lines are getting bigger on their journey from the bonnet towards the boot, creating a sense of forward movement just as the ‘POP!’ and the vapour thrust design elements do. The blue colour resembles the vastness of space and I like the idea of the car being a global car. What matters is how we relate to each other and our awareness of everything we are surrounded by. For the driver and all passengers, there is a heightened state of pleasure. This is what my car has to offer,” he explained.
Each car will come with a large-format certificate signed by the artist which, in addition to Zipse’s signature, also contains the individual Vehicle Identification Number. The artist also designed the dust jacket of the Driver’s Manual, while the signature of the artist is set into the cupholder panel in the Bavarian blue from the BMW logo.
Following its world premiere in Los Angeles this month, THE 8 X JEFF KOONS will be presented at numerous art fairs and events in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Initially, the car will be on display for the general public in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Plaza before one car from the series, signed on the tailgate by Jeff Koons, will be auctioned off at Christie’s in New York on April 4. All proceeds from the highest bid will go to the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), a non-profit NGO which Koons has been personally involved with for over 2 decades.
This BMW M3 GT2 was aesthetically reworked by the US artist Jeff Koons and in 2010, it was unveiled as the 17th model in the BMW Art Cars series. The car bears the racing number 79 – a tribute to the BMW M1 body work-over presented by Andy Warhol in 1979. The striking colours of Koons’ Art Car exude a boisterous sense of power, motion and energy. As with Warhol’s M1, Koons’ BMW also participated in the Le Mans 24-hour race.
Keyword: THE 8 X JEFF KOONS – most elaborately designed vehicle in all of BMW’s history