Beginning in the 1970’s with Alexander Calder being commissioned to paint a BMW race car for driver Herve Poulain in the 1975 Le Mains endurance race, the tradition of the BMW art car has flourished. In the decades that followed that first custom car in ’75, 17 art cars have since been added to what has become a hallowed tradition, with artistic contributions from legit art-world heavyweights including the likes of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Hatje Cantz is releasing the first book to ever be published on the subject, the 192-page hardcover BMW Art Cars holding 148 photos collected by authors Iris Candela, Eva Karcer and Ulrich Lemann to be released this June. Pre-order your copy for $38.

A handful of the famous dolled-up Beemers below…