In 1979, Andy Warhol was commissioned by the BMW Art Car Project to paint a powerful 470 hp racing version of the M1 that would compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year, Andy Warhol’s BMW M1 Art Car turns 40 years old, and German automaker celebrated with a modern photoshoot that shows off the car like it has never been seen before.
“I love this car. It’s more successful than the artwork. I attempted to show speed as a visual image. When an automobile is really travelling fast, all the lines and colors are transformed into a blur.” Warhol said at the time. According to BMW, it took Warhol less than 30 minutes to paint the entire car, using wide brush strokes combined with a loose, abstract style.
The M1 was captured in an old factory in Cologne by Munich-based Stephan Bauer, who won the Social Media Contest called ‘Shootout 2018’ last year, organized by BMW Group Classic. 
All Images Courtesy of Stephan Bauer / BMW
