BMW x Jeff Koons
In an exclusive edition of only 99 automobiles, a strictly limited number of the M850i xDrive Gran Coupé were created by Jeff Koons and BMW during several years of close collaboration. With THE 8 X JEFF KOONS, was unveiled for the first time at the Frieze Los Angeles.
Jeff Koons said, “My edition of the BMW 8 Series is my dream car! It is very special to me and I’ve wanted to create a special edition BMW for a long time. It is sporty and flashy as well as minimalist and conceptual. I can’t wait to drive it and ride in it, and I hope that people will enjoy the Gran Coupé just as much as I do. On the car, the lines are getting bigger on their journey from the hood towards the trunk, creating a sense of forward movement just as the ‘POP!’ and the vapour thrust design elements do. The blue colour resembles the vastness of space and I like the idea of the car being a global car. What matters is how we relate to each other and our awareness of everything we are surrounded by. For the driver and all passengers, there is a heightened state of pleasure. This is what my car has to offer.”
The expressive and striking design combines eleven different exterior colours ranging from blue to silver as well as from yellow to black. Only four cars will be painted each week. The multi-coloured interior is comprised of high-end materials, fine leather and a cupholder lid with an edition badging and the artist’s signature. The seats are made up of the striking red and blue which reflects the colours of superheroes from the comic book universe as well as those of the company’s high-performance unit BMW M. Overall, the energetic and powerful design includes both elements of pop art as well as geometric patterns paying homage to the sporty 8 Series Gran Coupe’s intricate contours and shape. The exploding lines of colour at the rear, in turn, are their own unmediated homage to the artist's 2010 BMW Art Car, while the "POP!" on each side as well as the vapour thrust imagery symbolise the power and speed of THE 8 X JEFF KOONS, according to the artist.
Over 200 hours of manual work were spent by highly specialised professionals at the BMW Group plants in Dingolfing and Landshut on the exterior paintwork alone, where the colour samples were often applied with magnifying glasses. "Energetic," "tantalising," and "strong" is how international media described the car, following the publication of first design studies on the occasion of the cooperation’s announcement in early September 2021 at Munich's Pinakothek der Moderne museum.
Each vehicle comes with a large-format certificate signed by Jeff Koons, which in addition to Oliver Zipse's signature also contains the individual Vehicle Identification Number of the respective vehicle. The artist also designed the dust jacket of the Driver's Manual. One further signature of the artist is let into the cupholder panel. Koons deliberately chose the Bavarian blue from the BMW logo.
Photos © BMW