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The legendary Calder-painted BMW 3.0 CSL Art Car is rolling back onto the Circuit de la Sarthe, joining Le Mans Classic from 4–6 July 2025 to mark half a century of BMW’s Art Car programme and the equally storied BMW 3 Series. This very coupé, the Artist’s Proof finished under the guidance of the Calder Foundation and BMW Group Classic, last graced the track in 1975; now it returns with original instigator Hervé Poulain alongside Alexander Calder’s grandson, Alexander SC Rower, for a ceremonial lap on Sunday morning.
The reunion celebrates the moment Poulain first fused fine art with motor sport by inviting Calder to transform a 3.0 CSL into a rolling canvas. That bold gesture created a lineage now boasting works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Stella, Mahlangu, Hockney and more, each machine proving that skilful engineering can sit comfortably beside avant-garde expression. Their presence at Le Mans Classic underscores BMW’s conviction that an efficient straight-six and a daring brushstroke can share equal billing.
Le Mans Classic itself is no quiet garden party: more than 600 historic racers thunder past overflowing grandstands while parades, displays and cultural events weave living history into present-day innovation. BMW’s exhibition echoes that ethos, showcasing icons such as the M1 Procar, a 1995 M3 GT Coupé, the latest M3 CS Touring and an electrified prototype—evidence that Bavarian creativity still pushes in fresh directions even as it honours its roots.
For visitors, seeing the Calder BMW 3.0 CSL carve through Tertre Rouge once more will serve as a vivid reminder that a car can be both precision-built and painterly. Five decades after it first stole the spotlight, this vivid coupé continues to blur the line between the racetrack and the gallery, proving that true automotive artistry never gathers dust.
