Whether we think of them of this way on an everyday basis or not, the fact remains that automobiles really are works of art when done correctly.  A lot of design planning and engineering goes into making these huge blocks of moving metal aesthetically pleasing, but they aren't always obviously artistic.

However, when you hire real, established artists to fancy those existing models up, that art becomes a lot clearer.

For almost four decades, BMW has been teaming up with world-renowned artists-everybody from Andy Warhol to Frank Stella to Alexander Calder-to create 17 art cars that all take some of the world's most impressive performance vehicles and transform them into some of the world's most beautiful vehicles. 

While the vehicles we sell here at Center BMW aren't quite so flashy, we can still appreciate the dated zaniness of Ken Done's 1989 M3 Group A, or Esther Mahlangu's tribal-looking BMW 525i.  And there's certainly no Santa Monica BMW dealership that will sell the 2007 H2R that was torn apart and radically reassembled by artist Olafur Eliasson.  Still, the efforts are all greatly appreciated, and the results are undeniably artistic.

Even though it has absolutely nothing to do with improving quarterly sales or even improving overall respect for the brand, these art cars are something unique BMW does just to associate itself with the art community.  Designers of these vehicles are so proud of their art, but sometimes it takes a painter to remind us of that.  The most observant of us don't need that reminder, but we're not arguing with the results because, honestly, they're absolutely beautiful.  The world should never get enough of that.