If you’re looking for the ultimate road-going artistic statement piece, look no further.
BMW has confirmed it will be bringing a very colourful version of the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe to Australia in the third quarter of 2022.
Dubbed the 8 X Jeff Koons, this exclusive 8 Series Gran Coupe has been created by world renowned pop artist Jeff Koons as the culmination of a multi-year project.
Only one of the total 99 vehicles produced will be coming Down Under for a customer to purchase at a yet-to-be confirmed price.
Expect the local pricing for the 8 X Jeff Koons to be considerably more than the $282,900 before on-road costs asking price of the regular M850i xDrive Gran Coupe.
Naturally, the BMW 8 X Jeff Koons that’s coming to Australia will be right-hand drive, allowing it be road-registered, and it has an “expressive and striking design” inside and out.
On the outside, the 8 X Jeff Koons has an exterior finish that combines 11 different paint colours including blue, silver, yellow and black.
The exterior finish includes elements of pop art and geometric patterns that’s said to “pay homage to the 8 Series Gran Coupe’s intricate contours and shape”.
Down the sides of the car are star-like shapes and “vapour thrust imagery” that’s said to symbolise the power and speed of the 8 X Jeff Koons. There are also the iconic “POP!” symbols on each side too.
Only four of these special 8 Series Gran Coupe models are painted each week, and each of them takes 285 hours of manual labour to complete.
The painting is conducted by specialists at BMW’s German manufacturing plants in Dingolfing and Landshut.
During the painting process, colour samples are often applied with magnifying glasses to ensure they are precise and accurate.
Inside the BMW 8 X Jeff Koons is a multi-coloured interior featuring red and blue seats, as well as a cupholder lid with edition badging and the artist’s signature.
Each vehicle comes with a large-format certificate personally signed by Jeff Koons and BMW AG chairman of the board of management Oliver Zipse. It also has the VIN of the respective vehicle.
The special edition is mechanically unchanged from the regular M850i xDrive Gran Coupe.
That means it’s powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine with 390kW of power and 750Nm of torque. This is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, with drive sent to all four wheels through an xDrive all-wheel drive system.
The BMW 8 X Jeff Koons isn’t the first BMW model that Jeff Koons has designed.
In 2010 the American artist created the BMW Art Car, which is a BMW M3 GT2 racer that was also painted in a pop art-style with a large splash graphic on the rear and vibrant colours.
Click an image to view the full gallery.
MORE: Everything BMW 8 Series
