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24H Backstage | 24h-lemans.com

In 1979, a BMW M1 sporting a livery designed by Andy Warhol took the start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A Pop Art masterpiece was applied directly to the bodywork, inspiring an impressive performance and remarkable result in the race. Consequently, this Art Car has become one of the most famous and valuable racing cars in motorsport history.

Entered in the 1979 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans by&nbsp;Herv&eacute; Poulain, the&nbsp;BMW M1 decorated by&nbsp;Andy Warhol embodied speed, performance and art. After finishing sixth overall, the car emerged as the quintessential Art Car of the BMW era.

<h2>Andy Warhol: the Pop Art Pioneer Takes on a Racing Car</h2>

Born in&nbsp;Pittsburgh in 1928, Warhol&nbsp;trained in advertising graphic design before revolutionising contemporary art at The Factory, his&nbsp;studio in New York City. He transformed everyday objects and popular icons into works of art. In 1979, BMW entrusted its fourth Art Car to Warhol.&nbsp;Like his predecessors, he&nbsp;received no payment, but&nbsp;unlike the other artists, he refused to&nbsp;settle for a scale model, painting&nbsp;the car himself&nbsp;directly onto the bodywork.

Andy Warhol:&nbsp;I have tried to show speed as a visual image. When an automobile is really traveling fast, all the lines and colors are transformed into a blur.&nbsp;In just 28 minutes, he applied nearly 6 kg of paint, transforming the&nbsp;BMW M1&nbsp;into a vibrant and destinctive canvas.

The #76&nbsp;BMW M1 fielded in the IMSA category was shared by&nbsp;Herv&eacute; Poulain, Marcel Mignot and&nbsp;Manfred Winkelhock. After qualifying 23rd, the car&nbsp;proved its&nbsp;potential during the race, reaching the chequered flag in sixth place overall and securing one of the top results for any BMW Art Car ever at the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans.

Herv&eacute; Poulain: I was expecting a livery based on Marilyn Monroe and cans of soup.&nbsp;Instead, Andy Warhol was most interested in the mixing of the colours.&nbsp;He wondered which colour would prevail over another at 300 kph.

An extraordinary&nbsp;work of art, an authentic racing car and a&nbsp;Pop Art emblem: the&nbsp;Andy Warhol BMW M1 transcended the&nbsp;status of&nbsp;mere machine to claim&nbsp;definitively&nbsp;its role in the legacy of the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le Mans.

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BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW M1 Andy Warhol: absolute icon

Last year, Ford Racing announced its return to the top tier of the endurance discipline. Today, the team has provided more details concerning its Hypercar programme.

Ford Racing steps up the pace in preparation for the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA World Endurance Championship. Having publicised its intentions to enter <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-in-the-top-class-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-in-2027-59293" target="_blank">a Hypercar entry</a>&nbsp;in January 2025, the American manufacturer spent a year putting together its programme, posing the technical foundations and forming a team. Now, twelve months later, the marque has revealed the scope of its campaign and the philosophy behind it.

The Ford Hypercar will be powered by a naturally-aspirated 5.4-litre &lsquo;Coyote&rsquo; V8 engine entirely developed inhouse and based on its Dark Horse R, GT4 and GT3 powerplants. The strategy is presented as a nod to Ford&rsquo;s glorious past at Le Mans, in particular the historic 1966 victory. According to the press release, the Dearborn team has been working with Red Bull Ford Powertrains to &ldquo;marry high-voltage technology to raw, Detroit-born power.&rdquo;

<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-partners-with-oreca-for-hypercar-programme-launching-in-2027-59768" target="_blank">Ford has elected to use an Oreca chassis</a>. The aim is clear: to build a Hypercar capable of winning WEC races in its first season, 24 Hours of Le Mans included.

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<h2>Preparation in real conditions</h2>

Three drivers have already been named: Sebastian Priaulx, Mike Rockenfeller and Logan Sargeant. The first two are already members of the Ford family. In 2025 they drove the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-mustang-gt3-a-major-evolution-introduced-for-2026-60189" target="_blank">Mustang GT3</a>&nbsp;to victory in two rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (in 2010 with Audi) Mike Rockenfeller brings precious experience to the campaign.

As for Logan Sargeant, with 36 Formula One races to his name, he brings technical expertise and solid experience of racing single-seaters with high downforce &ndash; a great advantage in Hypercar development. An American driver at the wheel of a Ford at Le Mans is symbolic, and reminiscent of icons Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt.

Sebastian Priaulx and Mike Rockenfeller will take part in the European Le Mans Series 2026 in LMP2. The goal is to build up a methodology, refine procedures and garner operational experience ahead of the Hypercar entry. Ford is likely to turn to Proton Competition and its Oreca 07-Gibson for support. Ford Racing&rsquo;s hypercar programme manager Dan Sayers summarises the learning phase as a way of taking: &ldquo;the building blocks of this programme and stress-test them under the most demanding conditions on the planet.&nbsp;We are building more than just a car; we are building a legacy. We are reclaiming our seat at the top table of endurance racing. We are America&rsquo;s Race Team, and we are coming for the world.&rdquo;

Ford Racing is well and truly on the way back to the top tier of endurance. The next stage is no doubt the unveiling of the Hypercar ahead of the first track tests this summer.

Ford Racing has announced details of its Hypercar programme

In 1977, the BMW Art Car series turned to Pop Art with a comic-inspired design by Roy Lichtenstein for the new BMW 320i Turbo. The car covered in the artist’s famous Ben-Day dots crossed the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans finish line.

In 1977, a major figure of Pop Art took on the challenge of turning a race car into a work of art. Roy Lichtenstein was the third artist, and the third American after <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/bmw-art-cars-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-bmw-3-0-csl-by-calder-the-pioneer-60204">Alexander Calder</a> and <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/bmw-art-cars-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-bmw-3-0-csl-by-frank-stella-the-graph-60206">Frank Stella</a> to illustrate a BMW fielded at Le Mans. The BMW 320i Turbo combined striking artwork with excellent results, claiming ninth place overall and a class win.

Lichtenstein turned to his emblematic Ben-Day dot pattern to decorate the BMW 320i Turbo, adding a reference to the car&rsquo;s racing environment on the sides. The design is reminiscent of the comic strip inspiration favoured by Lichtenstein since the sixties, and also portrays the surroundings through which the car is driven.

That year the initiator of the Art Car project Herv&eacute; Poulain shared the wheel with Marcel Mignot. The #50 started the race with the firm intention of finishing. &ldquo;Roy Lichtenstein used the sun rays and dots that are part of all his work, because they both were the right match for the 24 Hours of Le Mans,&rdquo; explained Poulain. &ldquo;The dots gave the car a feline look.&rdquo;

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<h2>An Art Car at the finish of the 24 Hours of Le Mans</h2>

The 1977 Art Car was a different model to the previous ones. The 320i Turbo was part of the 3 Series introduced in 1975 to replace the celebrated BMW 2002 and BMW elected to field the new car opposite the Porsche 935 in the new Group 5 classification. Its first Le Mans appearance was in 1977.

Marcel Mignot remembers being on tenterhooks throughout the race. &ldquo;Around 8 pm, I noticed the oil pressure was at zero. I went in and they sent me back out. The pressure went up from time to time, then back down again later on. I decided to ease off to protect the engine.&rdquo; Both drivers skilfully make up for the default and despite temperamental weather ranked sixth by daybreak. 
The BMW 320i Turbo gradually lost power as the hours ticked by, yet soldiered on.&ldquo;By the end of the race, the car was more and more difficult to handle due to the lack of power, but we finished ninth all the same,&rdquo; says Marcel Mignot. A remarkable result overall, and a class win. &ldquo;The sun on the car&rsquo;s side probably acted as a good-luck charm&rdquo; jokes the driver.

The BMW 320i Turbo by Lichtenstein marked an important stage in the Art Car saga: for the first time, the car didn&rsquo;t just attract attention in the early hours of the race as a work of art, it finished the race. In a fusion of Pop Art, endurance and mechanical engineering, the BMW Art Car went from cultural exhibit to real race car, earning a place in the history books.

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In a tribute to a half-century of fantastic liveries, this year&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.retromobile.com/en/">R&eacute;tromobile show</a> (28 January to 1 February at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles) will be showcasing the seven 24 Hours of Le Mans BMW Art Cars including the BMW 320i Turbo by Roy Lichtenstein.

BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW 320i Turbo: the Pop Art performer

New season. New name. New car. Toyota entering the 2026 FIA WEC season as TOYOTA RACING with this beast, the upgraded #TR010HYBRID Hypercar.

TR010 HYBRID Unveiling video

The evolution of the Mustang GT3 harnesses the unmistakable spirit of an American Icon and 60-plus years of rich racing heritage. It returns to grids worldwide in 2026 — sharpened, unbridled and ready to win.

The Evolution of Mustang GT3 | Ford Racing

Short highlights of the second race of the 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series in Malaysia on Sunday 14 December

24H LE MANS

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Getting to know TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

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Le Mans Magazine

BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW M1 Andy Warhol: absolute icon

Ford Racing has announced details of its Hypercar programme

BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW 320i Turbo: the Pop Art performer

TR010 HYBRID Unveiling video

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