BMW has a long history of creating amazing art cars. It all started back in 1975 with the BMW 3.0 CSL designed by sculptor Alexander Calder, which now has the status of an automotive legend. In 1979, after a few more art cars were designed by different artists, the Bavarian brand unveiled the M1 painted by Andy Warhol himself. The industry is changing, however, and BMW’s marketing efforts are focusing on electric mobility, and the latest art car to come from Munich is the iX1.
The iX1 becomes the first crossover art car. Its predecessors have mostly been performance and sports cars, including legendary models such as the M3 (E30), 635 CSi, 525i, and 850i CSi. In fact, BMW doesn’t consider the iX1 a fully-fledged member of its art car lineup as it is more of a design exercise to celebrate the new collaboration with the Stadel Museum. Since 1975, a total of 19 art cars have been created by BMW in collaboration with different artists. The next in the pipeline is scheduled to follow next year and to be designed by Ethiopian painter Julie Mehretu.
The iX1 is a small electric crossover, which was unveiled more than a year ago. Customers in Europe can choose a dual-motor electric powertrain with a peak output of 313 horsepower (230 kilowatts) and 494 Newton-meters (364 pound-feet). It serves as an alternative to the regular combustion-powered X1 models, offering a range of up to 438 kilometers (272 miles) on a single charge thanks to a 64.7-kilowatt-hour battery package.
BMW X1 art car
Marc Brandenburg lives and works in Berlin. He was born there 1965 and spent the majority of his childhood between 1968 and 1977 in the USA, before he and his family returned to West Berlin in 1977. As a young adult, he came into contact with the Berlin club scene of the 1980s at an early stage, working as a bouncer, until teaching himself – and ultimately dedicating himself to – fashion and its design at the end of the 1980s, before moving into fine art at the end of the 1990s.
Source: BMW
