10 coolest art cars of the past decade

The car art has a habit of creating a way for car owners to express their individuality in the increasingly uniform nature of the automotive world. What started as a hippie movement in the late 1960s has evolved into brand-sponsored art.

The content and meaning of these vehicles vary with each art car and often express political, social, personal or purely decorative themes.

Some art cars are seen as a grassroots movement committed to saving the automobile from corporate uniformity, according to the Art Car Museum in Houston, while others represent how minorities, subcultures and artists modern influences the cultural life of the United States.

Scroll down to see some of the coolest art cars of the past decade.

Lamborghini Huricán EVO

Lamborghini commissioned Italian painter Paolo Troilo to explore the power of man and machine in a Huricán EVO. Presented at Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan last November, Troilo painted an expression of the power of man, his fusion with Lamborghini’s bull symbol and the concept of myth with his fingers.

BMW M6 GT3

Chinese artist Cao Fei mixed the tradition of BMW with the futuristic style of his digital art to create this multimedia take on the BMW M6 GT3. There are three distinct elements in the piece: a video that focuses on a spiritual practitioner traveling through time, augmented reality features depicting colored particles of light (accessible through a dedicated app) and the BMW M6 GT3 race car. in its original carbon black.

Bentley flying spur

To sum up the British luxury carmaker’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, designer Rich Morris was hired to paint the ‘Unifying Spur’, a custom Flying Spur that was unveiled just before the month of pride 2021. The nine colors of the progression flag are depicted, along with the words “Love is love” drawn through faces, figures and shapes.

Hyundai Tucson N Line

The Korean automaker commemorated Tucson’s European launch of the N line in 2019 by hiring German artist Andreas Preis to create the “Drive a Statement” Tucson project. Hyundai Engine Red serves as the base color. The colors black, white, red and blue draw attention to the aggressive and sporty design of the N Line.

Porsche Taycan

In December 2020, Porsche collaborated with American artist Richard Phillips to create the Taycan Artcar live at the Leuehof pop-up restaurant in Switzerland. To create the Taycan Artcar, Phillips applied his large-scale painting Queen of the Night from 2010, which was inspired by the work of Swiss landscape designer Adolf Dietrich.

Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, Atlas and Tiguan

In support of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors, Volkswagen commissioned artist Mimi Kvinge to paint the Golf Alltrack, as well as the Atlas and Tiguan. The design’s winter peaks pay homage to the Pacific Northwest, where Kvinge came from.

The cars appeared at major ski and snowboard resorts to promote the educational training of ski and snowboard instructors across the country.

Porsche 996 Swan

Scottish digital artist Chris Labrooy was given the opportunity to bring one of his digital works to real life by Porsche. The swan, a traditional symbol of happiness, was chosen. The Porsche 911 Type 996 was the first Porsche sold in China and the 996 Swan was designed to pay homage to its 20th anniversary in China.

The artcar made its first public appearance in Shanghai, China in early November 2021 and is expected to make additional appearances in the near future.

Volkswagen Scirocco S

Volkswagen enthusiast Jason Whipple spent most of a decade disassembling and rebuilding his 1980 Scirocco S from the ground up with a new engine management system, replaced the drivetrain and added custom wheels. . Whipple then teamed up with a graphic designer to hand paint the vehicle with a rainbow pattern and graphics.

The vehicle sparked interest when it was unveiled at the 2018 SEMA auto show, as it now features social commentary, sporting phrases such as “The future is our fault” and “Things won’t change. not until we do it. “

Maserati Levante

Maserati designed this SUV with brand ambassador and chef Massimo Bottura to present its Fuoriserie customization program. The colorful splashes are reminiscent of Bottura’s youth, who raced vintage cars through the Italian countryside with his brothers, dusting them with mud. The multicolored screen that surrounds the exterior of the car is reflected by similar inserts in the passenger compartment.

The car was on display at Motor Valley Fest 2021 in Modena, Italy.

Lexus UX

Billed as the world’s first tattooed car, the premium car maker hired London tattoo artist Claudia De Sabe in 2020 to transfer her 15 years of working experience from humans to cars. Using a Dremel tool to cut out the paint, she carved a koi fish and waves on the side of the UX while working on other Japanese art designs all over the body.