The #51 Ferrari 499P winner of the 24 Hours Centenary has returned to a hero's welcome in Maranello, location of the Italian marque's historic headquarters.

24H Le Mans

24 Heures du Mans

In 2010, the BMW Art Car saga renewed the Pop Art theme with the help of Jeff Koons. Thanks to the American artist, the BMW M3 GT2 (entered in the LMGT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans) displayed its power on the outside in a splash of visual energy. The spectacular work, ideally suited to racing, was an immediate hit with fans.

The BMW M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons entered in the LMGT2 class at the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans was another flamboyant example of Pop Art in the Art Car series. Designed as an expression of speed, power and movement, it turned heads on track before its race was ended prematurely.

<h2>Designed for speed</h2>

No mention of BMW Art Cars could miss a reference to Jeff Koons. One of the most influential artists of his generation, the American was directly inspired by <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/bmw-art-cars-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-bmw-320i-turbo-the-pop-art-performer-60214" target="_blank">Roy Lichtenstein</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/bmw-art-cars-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-bmw-m1-andy-warhol-absolute-icon-60222" target="_blank">Andy Warhol</a>.His BMW M3 GT2 was the 17th Art Car, and completely in keeping with the spirit of the series. His design expressed a simple, universal message: speed.

With bright colours and vibrant lines with graphic fragments projected from back to front, this livery spelled raw energy. Even at a standstill, the car appeared ready to pounce. &ldquo;These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy,&rdquo; said Koons. &quot;I want to let my ideas transcend with the car &ndash; it&rsquo;s really to connect with that power.&rdquo;

However, an&nbsp;impression of speed was not enough; the BMW M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons was intended for real pace on track. Koons worked alongside the BMW teams in Munich to ensure that the paintwork would not interfere with the car&rsquo;s aerodynamics and weight. Using 3-D computer-aided design models and digital simulations, he adapted his graphic design to the complex shapes of the bodywork. 
The artist was keen to experience racing speed for real, donning a helmet for tests at Sebring with Rahal Letterman Racing, enjoying laps in a classic BMW M1 as a passenger and driving a road-legal BMW M3. His intention was to get a feel for speed to inspire his design.

Decorating the Art Car was a challenge. Time was short &ndash; there were only two months between the first sketches and the premiere &ndash; so BMW opted for digital printing on car wrapping vinyl, protected by a double clear-coating. Hundreds of dynamic lines were carefully applied to the car and individual spare parts, a pattern of debris was added to the rear sides and two graphic rings on the rear represented supersonic acceleration.

<h2>&ldquo;I would love to give it another chance and have it compete again.&rdquo;</h2>

The BMW M3 GT2 Art Car was unveiled on 1 June 2010 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in front of 300 guests from all over the world. The venue was symbolic, Roy Lichtenstein having presented his Art Car there in 1977.

Entered for the 78th 24 Hours of Le Mans, the BMW M3 GT2 Art Car competed under the BMW Motorsport banner. Driving duties were entrusted to Dirk M&uuml;ller, Dirk Werner and Andy Priaulx. On track, it attracted immediate attention from spectators and journalists. But the race proved cruel and the car was not destined to cross the finish line. However, the #78 BMW M3 GT2 finished sixth, with J&ouml;rg M&uuml;ller, Augusto Farfus and Uwe Alzen at the wheel.

Despite the disappointment, Jeff Koons remembers the human element of the race. &ldquo;This race has been a very invigorating experience. It&rsquo;s amazing to see the commitment of all the people involved. The fans sleep in tents and stay awake for far more than 24 hours to celebrate this event. This has me really going, as I understand that it is something truly special for all the people to be here.&rdquo; 
Talking of the team: &ldquo;Yes, I would have loved to see the team win, but it wasn&rsquo;t to be. I know how committed they are and how much precision and care they put into their work. Of course we would have loved to see the car win. I would love to give it another chance and have it compete again.&rdquo;

To Koons, race cars are metaphors: &quot;These race cars are like gladiators out there. They are performing with full power and full impact.&rdquo;

It may not have run the full course, nevertheless Jeff Koons&rsquo; BMW M3 GT2 remains one of the most emblematic Art Cars ever to have entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Its explosive look and performance-oriented design are the perfect embodiment of the BMW Art Car spirit: to strike up a conversation between contemporary art and endurance racing.

In a tribute to a half-century of fantastic liveries, this year&rsquo;s R&eacute;tromobile show (28 January to 1 February at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles) will be <a href="https://www.retromobile.com/en/news/bmw-art-car-world-tour">showcasing the seven 24 Hours of Le Mans BMW Art Cars</a> including the BMW M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons.

BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons: the colour of speed

In 1999, BMW Art Cars entered the prototypes era and American artist Jenny Holtzer transformed the BMW V12 LMR into a rolling political declaration. Through to striking slogans, chrome lettering and fluorescent overlays, the car itself became a message, and its speed a medium for reflection at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The&nbsp;BMW V12 LMR Art Car decorated by Jenny Holzer, commissioned during prequalifying at the 1999&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans, represented a new&nbsp;form of expression in the&nbsp;BMW Art Car series. On the V12&nbsp;prototype (top speed of&nbsp;340 kph), the artiste inscribed famous phrases from the&nbsp;Truisms&nbsp;and&nbsp;Survival&nbsp;series, transforming the racing car into a textual and political work of art.

<h2>Jenny Holzer, When an Art Car delivers a&nbsp;message</h2>

Known for her works projected onto urban facades and monuments, Holzer brought a unique dimension to the BMW Art Car saga in 1999.&nbsp;Her weapon of expression: words. Her goal: to provoke thought. On the BMW V12 LMR&#39;s body, she applied statements in reflective chrome lettering&nbsp;and fluorescent overlays to challenge the viewer directly:

<ul>
	<li>Protect me from what I want</li>
	<li>Lack of charisma can be fatal</li>
	<li>The unattainable is invariably attractive</li>
	<li>Monomania is a prerequisite of success</li>
	<li>You are so complex you don&rsquo;t respond to danger</li>
</ul>

Working in a male-dominated field, she&nbsp;stood up for what she believed. Jenny Holzer:&nbsp;I thought it would be nice if women could participate in ways other than just standing around in bikinis.&nbsp;Thanks to&nbsp;Holzer, this Art Car became&nbsp;a work of art, a social message&nbsp;and a feminist manifesto all in one.

<h2>BMW V12 LMR: Winning&nbsp;prototype at the 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans</h2>

The&nbsp;BMW V12 LMR represented the peak of endurance racing&nbsp;technology at the end of the 1990s with a&nbsp;nearly 6-litre V12 engine, 580 hp&nbsp;and a top speed of 340 kph and was designed&nbsp;to conquer the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1999, three V12 LMRs were entered by BMW in prequalifying. The #16 Art Car decorated by Jenny Holzer&nbsp;was entrusted to Joachim Winkelhock and Tom Kristensen.

The car&#39;s performance did not disappoint, qualifying in seventh position with a time of&nbsp;3:34.493 and&nbsp;showing real potential for the big race. Unfortunately, BMW&#39;s sporting strategy required withdrawing the Art Car to focus&nbsp;its efforts on the two other official prototypes.

Though Holzer&#39;s&nbsp;BMW V12 LMR did not take the start in the 1999&nbsp;24 Hours, it left a lasting impression in Art Car history. Twist of fate:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-of-le-mans-bmws-astonishing-1999-v12-lmr-56547" target="_blank">the #15 BMW sister car</a>&nbsp;driven by&nbsp;Joachim Winkelhock, Pierluigi Martini and&nbsp;Yannick Dalmas won that&nbsp;67th running of the race.

Thanks to Holzer&#39;s V12 LMR, BMW&#39;s Art Cars saga entered a new chapter. Artistic expression&nbsp;was no longer limited&nbsp;to colour or form: it questioned and challenged, all at more than&nbsp;300 kph. Even without having participated the race, this Art Car remains one of the most conceptual in the history of Le Mans.

To celebrate R&eacute;tromobile&#39;s 50th anniversary and the half-century mark of BMW Art Cars, the&nbsp;2026 show will present a special exhibition in France from 28 January&nbsp;to 1 February. The seven BMW Art Cars seen at&nbsp;the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be brought together at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, including none other than&nbsp;Jenny Holzer&#39;s BMW V12 LMR.

BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW V12 LMR Jenny Holzer: the Art Car manifesto

In 1979, a BMW M1 sporting a livery designed by Andy Warhol took the start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A Pop Art masterpiece was applied directly to the bodywork, inspiring an impressive performance and remarkable result in the race. Consequently, this Art Car has become one of the most famous and valuable racing cars in motorsport history.

Entered in the 1979 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans by&nbsp;Herv&eacute; Poulain, the&nbsp;BMW M1 decorated by&nbsp;Andy Warhol embodied speed, performance and art. After finishing sixth overall, the car emerged as the quintessential Art Car of the BMW era.

<h2>Andy Warhol: the Pop Art Pioneer Takes on a Racing Car</h2>

Born in&nbsp;Pittsburgh in 1928, Warhol&nbsp;trained in advertising graphic design before revolutionising contemporary art at The Factory, his&nbsp;studio in New York City. He transformed everyday objects and popular icons into works of art. In 1979, BMW entrusted its fourth Art Car to Warhol.&nbsp;Like his predecessors, he&nbsp;received no payment, but&nbsp;unlike the other artists, he refused to&nbsp;settle for a scale model, painting&nbsp;the car himself&nbsp;directly onto the bodywork.

Andy Warhol:&nbsp;I have tried to show speed as a visual image. When an automobile is really traveling fast, all the lines and colors are transformed into a blur.&nbsp;In just 28 minutes, he applied nearly 6 kg of paint, transforming the&nbsp;BMW M1&nbsp;into a vibrant and destinctive canvas.

The #76&nbsp;BMW M1 fielded in the IMSA category was shared by&nbsp;Herv&eacute; Poulain, Marcel Mignot and&nbsp;Manfred Winkelhock. After qualifying 23rd, the car&nbsp;proved its&nbsp;potential during the race, reaching the chequered flag in sixth place overall and securing one of the top results for any BMW Art Car ever at the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans.

Herv&eacute; Poulain: I was expecting a livery based on Marilyn Monroe and cans of soup.&nbsp;Instead, Andy Warhol was most interested in the mixing of the colours.&nbsp;He wondered which colour would prevail over another at 300 kph.

An extraordinary&nbsp;work of art, an authentic racing car and a&nbsp;Pop Art emblem: the&nbsp;Andy Warhol BMW M1 transcended the&nbsp;status of&nbsp;mere machine to claim&nbsp;definitively&nbsp;its role in the legacy of the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le Mans.

BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW M1 Andy Warhol: absolute icon

Last year, Ford Racing announced its return to the top tier of the endurance discipline. Today, the team has provided more details concerning its Hypercar programme.

Ford Racing steps up the pace in preparation for the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA World Endurance Championship. Having publicised its intentions to enter <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-in-the-top-class-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-in-2027-59293" target="_blank">a Hypercar entry</a>&nbsp;in January 2025, the American manufacturer spent a year putting together its programme, posing the technical foundations and forming a team. Now, twelve months later, the marque has revealed the scope of its campaign and the philosophy behind it.

The Ford Hypercar will be powered by a naturally-aspirated 5.4-litre &lsquo;Coyote&rsquo; V8 engine entirely developed inhouse and based on its Dark Horse R, GT4 and GT3 powerplants. The strategy is presented as a nod to Ford&rsquo;s glorious past at Le Mans, in particular the historic 1966 victory. According to the press release, the Dearborn team has been working with Red Bull Ford Powertrains to &ldquo;marry high-voltage technology to raw, Detroit-born power.&rdquo;

<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-partners-with-oreca-for-hypercar-programme-launching-in-2027-59768" target="_blank">Ford has elected to use an Oreca chassis</a>. The aim is clear: to build a Hypercar capable of winning WEC races in its first season, 24 Hours of Le Mans included.

<h2>Preparation in real conditions</h2>

Three drivers have already been named: Sebastian Priaulx, Mike Rockenfeller and Logan Sargeant. The first two are already members of the Ford family. In 2025 they drove the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-mustang-gt3-a-major-evolution-introduced-for-2026-60189" target="_blank">Mustang GT3</a>&nbsp;to victory in two rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (in 2010 with Audi) Mike Rockenfeller brings precious experience to the campaign.

As for Logan Sargeant, with 36 Formula One races to his name, he brings technical expertise and solid experience of racing single-seaters with high downforce &ndash; a great advantage in Hypercar development. An American driver at the wheel of a Ford at Le Mans is symbolic, and reminiscent of icons Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt.

Sebastian Priaulx and Mike Rockenfeller will take part in the European Le Mans Series 2026 in LMP2. The goal is to build up a methodology, refine procedures and garner operational experience ahead of the Hypercar entry. Ford is likely to turn to Proton Competition and its Oreca 07-Gibson for support. Ford Racing&rsquo;s hypercar programme manager Dan Sayers summarises the learning phase as a way of taking: &ldquo;the building blocks of this programme and stress-test them under the most demanding conditions on the planet.&nbsp;We are building more than just a car; we are building a legacy. We are reclaiming our seat at the top table of endurance racing. We are America&rsquo;s Race Team, and we are coming for the world.&rdquo;

Ford Racing is well and truly on the way back to the top tier of endurance. The next stage is no doubt the unveiling of the Hypercar ahead of the first track tests this summer.

Ford Racing has announced details of its Hypercar programme

24 Heures du Mans 2023

Employees from Ferrari Factory Museum in&nbsp;Maranello,&nbsp;Italy and hundreds of fans have welcomed home the #51&nbsp;499P that <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ferrari-wins-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-centenary-57668" target="_blank">won the 24 Hours&nbsp;Centenary</a>. The Centenary&nbsp;Trophy designed by&nbsp;Monnaie de Paris with support from Rolex arrived to take its well-earned spot among the Italian manufacturer&#39;s countless&nbsp;other trophies and awards. The #50 499P that finished fifth at the race was also on the scene.

Tuesday&nbsp;20 June 2023 will forever remain special to&nbsp;Ferrari fans as the day when these two 499Ps emerged from the marque&#39;s&nbsp;headquarters to parade through&nbsp;the town, first in Scuderia Ferrari&#39;s&nbsp;Attivit&agrave; Sportive GT zone, then in the streets of the Maranello city centre, by way of several iconic locations&nbsp;including the museum dedicated to Ferrari. It was the perfect chance for fans to admire the two&nbsp;Hypercars who triumphed in France.

24H LE MANS

24 Hours of Le Mans – The winning #51 Ferrari 499P celebrated in Maranello

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BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW V12 LMR Jenny Holzer: the Art Car manifesto

BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW M1 Andy Warhol: absolute icon

Ford Racing has announced details of its Hypercar programme

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