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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