From 1937 to 1976, the Earls Court Exhibition Centre hosted the British International Motor Show, a major automotive event that, between 1948 and 1966, introduced the likes of the Morris Minor, Jaguar XK120, Aston Martin DB4, Mini, MGB and Lotus Cortina to the British public.
The world’s most prestigious car manufacturers considered the Earls Court Motor Show to be a vital stage to showcase their latest creations, so it was no surprise that many of the most notable cars from the era were launched there, with the likes of Colin Chapman regularly whipping the covers off Elans, Elites and more for the world to see.
It’s to this legacy that Goodwood pays homage each year at the Revival with its own reimagining of the Earls Court Motor Show, albeit with a twist.
The Goodwood Revival is of course an event that seeks to immerse attendees in a bygone era, transforming the Motor Circuit and its surroundings into a time machine that spurs the imagination and evaporates the cares of the modern world. But the Earls Court Motor Show turns that on its head by presenting ‘the cars of the future’, or in other words, the modern-day machinery that would otherwise look horribly out of place at the Revival.
But it’s not all about current or upcoming machinery. BMW will be presenting a particularly eye-catching exhibition in celebration of its Art Car Collection, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025.
To date, 20 BMW art cars have been created. The first, a 3.0 CSL designed by Alexander Calder in 1975, and the latest being a BMW M Hybrid V8 designed by Julie Mehretu in 2024. Five cars from the series will be on display inside the Earls Court Motor Show at the Goodwood Revival, covering several eras of BMW history with collaborations by some of the world’s most illustrious artists.
The original BMW art car was never considered the first of a series. It was conceived as a one-off after the man behind the design, Alexander Calder, approached the manufacturer to offer a design for its #93 entry to the 1975 Le Mans 24 Hours. The car didn’t finish, but it was a popular concept that BMW has continued to embrace for half a century.
#2 FRANK STELLA – BMW 3.0 CSL (1976)
The first of the series to feature at the 2025 Revival is the second BMW art car, a 3.0 CSL that was blessed with the creativity of Frank Stella in 1976. It too was entered to race at Le Mans, with a design inspired by the technological prowess of the car itself.
A black and white graph paper pattern forms the basis for an abstract overall look. With drivers like Ronnie Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson taking the wheel of this car during outings at Silverstone and Dijon, the 3.0 CSL suffered a series of mechanical faults while competing at the front of the field, which made this a disappointing chassis as far as results are concerned.
Now, the best part of 50 years later, it’s only really the paintwork on the outside that matters.
#3 ROY LICHTENSTEIN – BMW 320I TURBO (1977)
Next to that will be the car that came next, the 1977 320i Turbo designed by world renowned pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. The car’s paintwork features the ‘Ben Day dots’ that characterised his work throughout his career, and the overall effect of the design is that of a sunrise over a distant landscape.
His was the first of the art cars to reach the chequered flag at Le Mans, claiming a class win at that, crossing the line ninth overall in the hands of Hervé Poulain and Marcel Mignot.
#5 ERNST FUCHS – BMW 635 CSI (1982)
Ernst Fuchs was an Austrian artist who based his BMW art car design on a dream he claimed he’d had when he was five years old. It depicts a hare leaping over the flames that engulf the body of this BMW 635 CSi.
The fifth art car, this was the first in the series not to race at Le Mans, but instead was the first production car to receive the art car treatment. It’s certainly bold, no doubt about that.
#14 DAVID HOCKNEY – BMW 850 CSI (1995)
A British designer was behind this creation from 1995. Aside from anything else, these BMW art cars give us a fantastic insight into the development of artistic trends over the past 50 years. Abstract simplicity was gradually giving way to similarly abstract complexity, and that was certainly the case with David Hockney’s design.
While the earlier art cars were intended for road or racing purposes, several of these later editions were strictly created as exhibits, so this 850 CSi never turned a wheel once its impressive paint job was completed.
Hockney’s intent with this design was to bring outside what he believed lay under the skin. We take that to mean this is an artistic interpretation of the car’s engineering and technology, although the dog on the driver’s side is by far our favourite detail.
#17 JEFF KOONS – BMW M3 GT2 (2010)
The last and most modern of the art cars coming to the Revival is the BMW M3 GT2 from 2010 adorned with the creative flair of Jeff Koons. Of all the artistic styles incorporated into BMW’s Art Car Collection, pop art is among the most popular, and it returns here with a burst of colour and drama.
It also saw an art car return to Le Mans for the first time since the V12 LMR in 1999, though it unfortunately suffered the kind of luck we’ve become used to with these cars, retiring with mechanical issues.
That ultimately has no bearing on the design, however, which in our eyes is one of the best in the entire Art Car Collection. We can’t wait to see this and its classmates in person when they’re on display inside the Goodwood Revival’s Earls Court Motor Show.
The 2025 Goodwood Revival takes place from 12th-14th September. Tickets are now limited! Saturday tickets have sold out, so secure your Friday and Sunday tickets to avoid missing out on the world’s best historic motorsport event.
Report by Simon Ostler for goodwood.com
Goodwood photography by Dominic James
