BMW knows how to put on a show. Fresh off the 50th-anniversary global tour of its iconic Art Car Collection—which has been globe-trotting since March—the automaker’s latest stop landed in Hungary, home of its brand-new iX3 electric crossover. And BMW didn’t waste the moment. Under one roof at Budapest’s Millenáris Park, it brought together two machines separated by nearly six decades yet connected by a single idea: design that moves both the eyes and the wheels.
The star attraction? The very first BMW Art Car, making its debut appearance in Hungary. The 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL—better known as the #93 Le Mans racer—was the brainchild of French racing driver Hervé Poulain, who dreamed up the daring concept of putting real art on real race cars. American sculptor Alexander Calder answered that call, delivering a riot of color across the CSL’s widebody flanks. Although the car didn’t finish the Le Mans endurance race, it kickstarted a tradition that now spans 19 officially recognized BMW Art Cars, the most recent being Julie Mehretu’s M Hybrid V8.
And yet, even parked beside a literal masterpiece, the modern metal refused to fade into the background.
BMW used the Budapest stop as a coming-out party for its all-new iX3, the first production model spun from the company’s Neue Klasse electric platform built at its new Debrecen facility. Several iX3s appeared at the event, all wearing M Sport package trim and rolling on flashy 22-inch wheels. Ocean Wave Blue was the dominant hue of the day, though a single Space Silver example quietly flexed its metallic cool.
The iX3 has only just entered series production, with Europe receiving the first deliveries next spring. The launch model, the iX3 50 xDrive, pairs dual motors with BMW’s largest battery so far—a 108.7-kWh pack. More affordable “40” variants will soon follow in both RWD and AWD configurations, albeit with a smaller battery to keep costs in check.
BMW isn’t stopping there. The company is preparing a modern homage to the classic 1800 TI—the very car displayed alongside the Art Car at the event. The upcoming i3 sedan, arriving next year, will become the first Neue Klasse three-box model of this era. And for the first time in the NK lineage, BMW will introduce a crossover-coupe: the iX4, recently spied testing and expected to break cover later next year.
And what about the next Art Car? It’s coming—BMW all but guarantees it. Logic says a Neue Klasse sedan or coupe will be the canvas of choice. But with the M Hybrid V8 just officially joining the Art Car family last year, BMW seems in no rush. Good art takes time, after all.
For now, the spectacle of Calder’s original CSL beside BMW’s latest electric ambitions offers a fitting juxtaposition: a vivid reminder that while technology evolves, the brand’s love affair with creativity never really changes.
Source: BMW