Art cars are growing in popularity, with a number of automakers and their subsidiaries getting on board the trend. But BMW is where it all started. The German automaker has been at it since 1975. A good blogger’s dozen of them have been commissioned for BMW over the years, and every one of them has remained in the company’s private collection. Except one.

That one is the M1 Procar you see here, painted by Frank Stella in 1979. It remains the only example in the series that was created for a private individual with BMW’s blessing. After years in the Guggenheim, Bonhams auctioned it off a couple of months ago at Monterey for a whopping 4,000 – well above estimate.

So who bought it? Jonathan Sobel, owner of (among other interests) BMW of Southampton, way out at the eastern end of New York’s Long Island. The dealership is just settling in to its new showroom on Montauk Highway, and that’s where the M1 art car will be showcased for much of the new year ahead. So if your plans include a trip out to the Hamptons, you may want to stop by for a rare glimpse. Press release after the jump.

Continue reading Frank Stella’s BMW M1 art car finds a new home in the Hamptons

Frank Stella’s BMW M1 art car finds a new home in the Hamptons originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a perfect world, maybe the world’s top museums would have infinite space and infinite resources to acquire and display every significant piece of artistic creation they could get their hands on. But, as we are all at times painfully aware, this is an imperfect world. Which is why the Guggenheim Museum is forced to sell this unique BMW M1 art car, in order to raise funds and make way for other works of art. And their loss could be your gain.

The original Bavarian supercar was painted by the celebrated artist Frank Stella in 1979. But while BMW has commissioned many art cars (including another M1 by Andy Warhol and a 3.0 CSL also by Stella) since the program kicked off in 1975, this is the only one that was officially sanctioned by the factory for a private client, whereas all the others remained in the German automaker’s private collection. This, then, represents an extremely rare opportunity to acquire an original BMW art car.

The vehicle has been part of the museum’s collection since 1999, and will be auctioned by Bonhams this coming August at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, California, where it’s expected to fetch around half a million dollars, an estimate we can see it blowing right past. Us? We’re just hoping that BMW itself decides to bid on the car so that this Stella M1 can rejoin its celebrated relatives in the German automaker’s collection.

If you’re in New York and want to catch a glimpse at this one-of-a-kind rolling work of art, it’s currently on display outside Bonhams’ offices in the atrium of the IBM Building at 56th and Madison.

Follow the jump for the official press release and scope out the images in the gallery below.

Continue reading BMW M1 art car by Frank Stella headed for the auction block

BMW M1 art car by Frank Stella headed for the auction block originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 May 2011 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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