BMW has created a new special edition version of its acclaimed i8 hybrid sports car to celebrate 50 years of BMW in Italy.
Called the i8 Futurism Edition, it features a unique paint scheme based on the work of Italian Futurist artist Giacomo Balla, whose painting ‘Lampada ad Arco’ inspired the i8’s paintwork.
The painting, which represents an electric street lamp under the moonlight used revolutionary colour technique for its time, which BMW claims links with the car’s futuristic technology.
Inspired by Italian art
Lapo Elkann, president of Garage Italia Customs which painted the car, said: “There was immediate synergy with BMW Italia the very first time we met for the i8 Futurism Edition project.
“It gave the Garage Italia Customs Maestros a chance to celebrate a car which is projected towards the future of mobility. At the same time, it honours Italian art with Giacomo Balla, who is a prominent figure of the Futurism movement.”
The i8 Futurism Edition also harks back to BMW’s Art Car project, which started in 1975 when French racing driver Hervé Poulain commissioned artist Alexander Calder to paint his 3.0-litre CSL racer.
BMW Art Cars
Poulain would race the car in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans and inspire no fewer than 14 Art Cars, and the i8 Futurism Edition will honour his legacy by tackling the Mille Miglia later this year.
Sergio Solero, BMW Italia’s president and CEO, said: “The BMW i8 Futurism Edition represents the pairing of a sports car of the future with Italian creativity and art.
“This initiative is a perfect fit with the cultural program which, on the occasion of our celebration of the 50 years of BMW history in Italy, we have developed even further in order to witness to our commitment to and integration in the fabric of the country.”