Peter Lyon
September 17, 2025
The Hagerty Drivers Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to preserving automotive culture and history, is hosting its annual “Cars at the Capital” exhibition featuring a world-renowned piece of automotive art by the legendary Andy Warhol – the 1979 BMW M1 Art Car No.4.
The exhibition will be staged at the National Mall in Washington D.C. from September 17-23, 2025. The BMW M1 exhibited in the Foundation’s glass enclosure will be the 37th vehicle added to the National Historic Vehicle Register. The documentation of the vehicle will be permanently archived in the U.S. Library of Congress.
Andy Warhol, the celebrated Pittsburgh-born American artist, gave this 1979 BMW M1 factory race car an elaborate pop-art makeover, adding to the significant BMW Art Car Collection started in 1975, and in doing so, created one of the most significant automotive works of art known today.
The BMW M1 by Andy Warhol is not just art, however—it also raced in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans, continuing the legacy set in motion with the first Art Car, finishing 6th overall and 2nd in its class. Its combination of artistic, cultural, and racing pedigree makes it a natural fit for the National Historic Vehicle Register.
“I attempted to show speed as a visual image. When the automobile is really traveling fast, all the lines and colors are transformed in a blur.” Andy Warhol.
The DC exhibition will be located just steps from the Smithsonian museums that hold countless pieces from the very artists that were featured in the BMW Art Car series and those that inspired them.
Since 1975, renowned artists from around the world have created BMW Art Cars. The idea emerged thanks to French racing driver and art enthusiast Hervé Poulain, who, in collaboration with Jochen Neerpasch, then Head of Motorsport at BMW, invited his friend and artist Alexander Calder to paint a car. The result was a BMW 3.0 CSL that participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1975, captivating the public and marking the birth of the BMW Art Car Collection. Famous figures such as Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Esther Mahlangu, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer and Ólafur Elíasson have since enriched the collection with their unique styles.
“The Warhol BMW M1 is arguably the most iconic example in the Art Car series,” said Casey Maxon, Director of Heritage at Hagerty. “The National Historic Vehicle Register features many different eras and cultural touch points of our automotive past. The Warhol M1 represents the confluence of great German engineering, fabulous Italian design, performance on the global stage and the lasting influence of the dynamic American pop-art scene.”
The BMW Art Cars are currently on a World Tour to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the series. The M1 made its U.S. tour debut along with the 20th Art Car (2024 BMW M Hybrid by Julie Mehretu) this past August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
As a unique display representing the fusion of automobiles and art, this year’s Cars at the Capital exhibition will be available free for the public to see, allowing a rare up-close opportunity to examine this significant car. To inspire both the rising generation of artists and car enthusiasts, the non-profit will host a Family Day activation at the exhibit on Saturday, September 20. Kids will be able to paint their very own masterpiece in the spirit of Warhol and the artists that made the BMW Art Cars so iconic.
