As if the 2023 BMW M850i Gran Coupe wasn’t already exciting enough there’s now a vibrant Jeff Koons BMW “Art Car” Edition. Only one 99 models available worldwide, the Jeff Koons art car is the most elaborately designed vehicle in all of BMW’s history. Dubbed by Koons as the “8 X Jeff Koons,” 2023 BMW M850i Gran Coupe Jeff Koons Edition is truly a work of art. In 2010, the American artist already created a unique BMW M3 GT2 Art Car. The Koons Edition E92 M3, which even raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After several years of close collaboration, BMW and Jeff Koons teamed up again to create the 2023 BMW M850i Gran Coupe Jeff Koons Edition. The 8 X Jeff Koons attracts automobile collectors and comic book lovers alike. Starting at $350,995, each car’s paint job took a reported 285 hours to complete. This one-of-99 M850i Gran Coupe is both a collectible car and a collectible work.
“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 vapor thrust design elements do. The blue color 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.” Jeff Koons
The 2023 BMW M850i Grand Coupe Jeff Koons Art Car is the most laborious BMW ever produced. The exterior paint job is designed by famous American Artist, Jeff Koons, who is most known for his work challenging popular culture. When art and performance become one, you get the 8 X Jeff Koons. The striking design combines eleven different exterior colors ranging from blue to silver as well as from yellow to black. he exploding lines of color 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 vapor thrust imagery symbolize the power and speed of the 8 X Jeff Koons, according to the artist.
The exterior of the 2023 BMW M850i Grand Coupe Jeff Koons Art Car is not the only canvas on the expressive vehicle. Inside the 8 X Jeff Koons is a multi-colored 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 striking red and blue which reflects the colors of superheroes from the comic book universe as well as those of the company’s high-performance unit BMW M.
Every 8 X Jeff Koons comes with a certificate that has the VIN number and is signed by Jeff Koons, as well as Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Management Board of BMW. Koon’s signature can also be found on the cupholder panel like shown in the photo below. Koons deliberately chose the Bavarian blue from the BMW logo.
The 8 X Jeff Koons carries a 523 horsepower twin-turbo 4.4L V8 engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission and also comes with BMW xDrive, all-wheel drive system. The M850i’s powerful twin-turbo is fun to drive and representative of true BMW engineering. The 8-series gives you a supremely quiet ride combined with BMW athleticism. So whether you opt for an 8 with or without exterior art, the 8-series is far from standard.
Initiated by French race car driver and art aficionado Hervé Poulain and conceived in collaboration with the founder of BMW Motorsport Jochen Neerpasch, the first BMW Art Car was commissioned when both asked Alexander Calder to design Poulain’s BMW race car in 1975. Since then, 19 artists from throughout the world have created BMW automobiles of their time. The BMW Art Cars by Roy Lichtenstein, Esther Mahlangu, Jenny Holzer, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Ólafur Elíasson, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, Cao Fei and John Baldessari, among others, are all inspired by developments in art, design and technology.
