BMW Art Car Collection premieres online with video tour

The BMW Art Car Collection has made a global debut on the Internet, with a virtual video tour that gives an overview of each car and outlines the collection's development since 1975.

Photo and video content are included in the tour for each of the 17 art cars, at www.bmw-artcartour.com.

"Whilst the originals are often exhibited individually at the BMW Museum in Munich or at significant cultural institutions throughout the world, people are now able to discover the BMW Art Cars in their entirety," BMW spokesman Bill McAndrews said.

The first art car was designed at the hands of American artist Alexander Calder in the early '70s. The BMW 3.0 CSL went on to compete in 24 Hours of Le Mans, and an enthusiastic reception at the race encouraged BMW to move forward in creating the Art Car Collection.

Male and female artists from nine countries and five continents have since contributed to the collection, including Frank Stella, Andy Warhol and David Hockney. The art cars have traveled the globe from the Louvre in Paris to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and completed a world tour from 2006 through 2010.

The automotive artworks range in style from racing sedans to coupes and roadsters, and they vary in content from early-'70s pop art to "the idea of continents" to more modern concepts.

The 17th installment in the collection came in 2010 for the BMW Art Cars' 35th anniversary. All 17 cars will be together on display through Sept. 25 at the BMW Museum in Munich.

By Michelle Koueiter