Unique BMW by Famous Artist Fails to Find a Buyer at Auction
One of the 99 examples of the BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupe created in collaboration with artist Jeff Koons was listed at the Cars & Bids auction. Despite its exclusivity, the car failed to meet its reserve price, receiving a maximum bid of $131,786.
Key facts about this lot:
What Makes This Car Special?
This BMW is a true moving canvas. Each of the 99 released examples received a unique livery inspired by comics, with “POP!” graphics and images of jet streams. The hand-applied paint took approximately 285 hours for each car.
The riot of colors is not limited to the body. Koons transferred his concept into the M850i’s interior, where the bright red and blue seats, by design, reference the BMW M division and the hyperbolic world of comic book superheroes.
The interior also combines black, burgundy, and brown leather, creating a very bold and expressive palette.
Technical Basis and Condition of the Lot
Beneath the artistic shell lies serious technical hardware: a 4.4-liter bi-turbo V8 engine producing 523 horsepower, which, through an eight-speed automatic transmission and xDrive all-wheel drive, accelerates the car.
The example presented at the auction had only 50 miles on the odometer and still had the manufacturer’s certificate of origin, meaning it was practically new. A recent service had even been performed, including an oil and brake fluid change at 33 miles.
The Harsh Reality of the Collector Car Market
The auction results vividly demonstrate the market’s attitude towards this BMW experiment. Even being nearly new and unique, the car lost over $200,000 in value compared to its original price.
A regular M850i Gran Coupe is a very powerful car, but it depreciates quite quickly. Adding a paint job that is rumored to cost a six-figure sum does not automatically turn it into a Picasso on wheels; it is merely a very expensive, very niche product.
This situation is indicative of the exclusive collaboration market. The value embedded in such projects through the artist’s name and manual work often does not find a corresponding financial response on the secondary market. The investment appeal of “art cars” proves to be very dubious, even if the car is technically perfect and has minimal mileage. This may force manufacturers and artists to reconsider their approach to creating such limited series, focusing on long-term value rather than just media buzz at launch. Buyers considering such cars as an asset should remember the high risks of depreciation.