Cadillac WTR unveils livery for 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans
Cadillac WTR and Mobil 1 have signed a sponsorship deal supporting the #101 Cadillac V-Series.R for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans (11-15 June 2025).
Read the article24h Le Mans
The first Le Mans art car graced the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1975. Since then, many artists have designed special liveries for Le Mans cars. The last marque to display artwork was Aston Martin with the Vantage V8 in 2013 and 2015.
However, it was BMW that first introduced the idea, inspired by the well-known classic car auctioneer, Hervé Poulain. In 1975, gentleman driver Poulain commissioned the American sculptor Alexander Calder to use his car as a blank canvas for the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year. Calder’s artwork was on display for less than 24 hours, as the BMW 3.0 CSL did not finish the race.
The project continued the following year and Poulain called on another American artist, Frank Stella, to decorate his BMW. Stella’s striking design was based on oversized graph paper. However, good as it looked, the #41 was lacking in staying-power. Drivers Brian Redman and Peter Gregg had banked the eighth best time in the qualifying sessions but in the actual race, the car had an oil problem and the team had to retire.
All the same, Poulain and BMW had started a trend that was to continue. BMW collaborated with Andy Warhol in 1979 and Jeff Koons in 2010, McLaren commissioned César in 1995 and Porsche called upon Georges Wolinski to produce a design in 1998.
Watch the videos to see Frank Stella describing his work and an all-round look at the finished result.
David Bristol / ACO - Translated from French by Emma Paulay
Videos: You Tube - AutoMotoTV