BMW Art Car by Alexander Calder, BMW 3.0 CSL, 1975, augmented reality. Courtesy of the artist and Acute Art in collaboration with BMW Group Culture.  © 2021 Calder Foundation, New York / DACS, London. 

The BMW 3.0 CSL by Alexander Calder in the desert, the BMW 535i by Matazo Kayama in Hamburg’s warehouse district: augmented reality makes it possible. The legendary BMW Art Cars are being choreographed in virtual space for the first time. To mark the 50th anniversary of its international cultural commitment, the BMW Group has teamed up with the app developers from Acute Art so that the BMW Art Cars can be experienced in augmented reality anywhere in the world. The BMW Art Car Collection was launched in 1975 on the initiative of the French racing driver and art lover Hervé Poulain and the then BMW Motorsport Director Jochen Neerpasch. Poulain asked his artist friend Alexander Calder to design a BMW 3.0 CSL, which then went on to compete in the 24 Hour Race of Le Mans that same year. Since then, a total of 19 famous artists have styled BMW automobiles of their time, including stars of the art scene like Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons, Olafur Eliasson, John Baldessari and Cao Fei. The first rolling sculptures can now be experienced digitally in an environment selected by the user through augmented reality (AR) using an app.

Do this as follows:

1. Download the Acute Art app free of charge in the App Store or at Google Play.
2. Open the app and select “BMW Art Cars” and one of the vehicles. Press “place”.
3. Point your smart phone at the floor and tap the screen for a placement. Rotate or adjust the size and position of the car with your fingers.

This year, it once again proved impossible to hold the annual international Mini Meeting (IMM) owing to the restrictions caused by the pandemic. However, the organisers of the MINI Owners Club Italia in Florence found a new way of expressing their enthusiasm for meetings with the international MINI Community: a MINI Grand Tour. This route took them from the heart of Tuscany to the North Cape in Norway and from there back to home climes with a stopover in Munich. The journey over 10,000 kilometres was undertaken in a classic Mini they had prepared themselves and a contemporary MINI John Cooper Works. On the trip, they met up with lots of fans of the classic Mini and modern MINI models. Donations were also collected for children in need. The MINI Grand Tour included a break in Geiselwind, Franconia, where the International Mini Meeting is scheduled to take place next year.

The passion for classics of the BMW brand. During the past one and a half years, it has generally been hiding its light under a bushel all over the world. Classic car rallies, club meets and joint outings have been off limits owing to the social-distancing and sanitising rules made necessary by the pandemic. In a new video from the series “Our Brands. Our Stories”, classic-car owners from Denmark, Italy, Russia and Taiwan report on how they acquired their carefully maintained vehicles, tell the stories of their experiences with them and reveal the treats they are particularly looking forward to. Their common message: “Our classics don’t belong in the garage but on the road.” 

Marc und Christoph present another humorous and entertaining episode: Inside BMW Group Classic. We’re going to discover some interesting facts about BMW Motorrad. This episode celebrates the current launch of the BMW R 18 motorcycle. The complete car nuts Marc and Christoph invited a knowledgeable guest for this episode: Fred Jakobs. Fred knows all about the history of BMW Motorrad. Take a deep dive into the intriguing story of motorcycles made by BMW. Right from the get-go in 1921, through the production of engines for the VICTORIA brand, to dedicated in-house manufacture of BMW motorcycles from 1923 onwards. BMW Motorrad: A success story right up to the present day.