Hit the Highway...err, Runway: 9 of the Coolest Design Cars Out There
February 5, 2016
Forget the factory standard. We like our cars with a bit of personality, a dash of artistic sensibility. And we don’t just mean bumper stickers.
No, we’re talking rides that’ve been spray-painted by street artists. The art cars that flock to Burning Man’s playa. Even one vehicle whose design changes when it gets wet. (We’ve never wished for rain so hard.) Fire up your creativity with these nine design cars. Caution: You’ll never want to drive in something beige again.
1. ÓLAFUR ELIASSON'S BMW ART CAR: You're gonna have to trust us on this one: this object, which looks half-insect, half-igloo, is actually a car. Well, kinda. Designed by Danish-Icelandic artist Ólafur Eliasson for BMW's Art Car Project back in 2007, the car's exterior was removed by Eliasson and replaced with mesh, steel and ice. So cool.
Photo courtesy of BMW
2. BUGATTI VEYRON L'OR BLANC: There's more to this
Bugatti than meets the eye. (Though its design certainly is impressive; painstakingly painted by hand over the course of three weeks, this was no quick paint job.) Made in partnership with Belgium's Royal Porcelain Factory, the L'Or Blanc features porcelain inlays inside and out. Might wanna put a "FRAGILE" sticker on the hood...
Photo courtesy of Bugatti
3. JOHN LENNON'S ROLLS ROYCE PHANTOM V: Leave it to a Beatle to be the brains behind
this groovy ride. John Lennon's Rolls Royce was famously custom-painted brilliant yellow, and decorated with ornamental scrolls, flowers, and zodiac designs. Inside, it was outfitted with a bed, fridge, TV, record player, and other amenities. Baby, we can drive your car.
Photo courtesy of
Robert Todd
4. GEORGE HARRISON'S MINI COOPER S: When it came to design cars, George Harrison wasn't to be outdone. The quiet Beatle
also invested in a quirky (if less spacious) custom car of his own: a 1966 Mini Cooper S, to be exact, which Harrison had covered in vibrant designs and Sanskrit mantras. This one even had a starring role in the "Magical Mystery Tour" film. Take that, Phantom V.
Photo courtesy of
Jonathan Clapp/Flickr
5. CAPTAIN AMERICA CAR: You know those mugs with hidden designs that are revealed when you pour in hot water? Think of this as the car version of that. Painted by German artist
Rene Turrek, this Lamborghini looks normal in dry weather. But when warm water hits its surface, the design changes to reveal a large-scale portrait of Captain America. Drivers, assemble!
Photo courtesy of Rene Turrek
6. SHARPIE LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO: Most car owners would be
pretty upset if you busted out a permanent marker and started to scribble on their ride. But not the owner of this
Lamborghini Gallardo. He commissioned Miami street artist Jona Cerwinske to freehand draw all over this supercar. It could've gone wrong in lesser hands, but we gotta admit: This is a good look.
Photo courtesy of
James Scott S/Flickr
7. THE BURNING MAN DMV: First things first: this is like no DMV you've
ever been to. This, friends, is Burning Man's
Department of Mutant Vehicles. That name's no exaggeration: from cars shaped like giraffes, to vehicles that resemble deep-sea fish or dragons, Burning Man's playa is filled with the coolest design cars pretty much...ever.
Photo courtesy of
Bill Dimmick/Flickr
8. 1970S MCLAREN MP4-12C: The McLaren MP4-12C is already a supercar in its own right—it's one of the fastest (and spendiest) around. But this covetable car gets even more appealing when it's coated in a lick of paint...or twelve. This bespoke model was spray-painted in a rainbow of hues by
Hamann, a German car tuning company, and was supposedly inspired by the 1970s. Psychedelic, man.
Photo courtesy of Hamann
9. SPECIALLY WRAPPED ZIPCAR: Good news: You don't need to have a supercar budget or a mutant vehicle for a dose of cool car art. Nope. All you need is to keep up with Zipcar events in your city—like that time in Philly when street artist MOMO made a mural that became a
specially wrapped Zipcar.
Photo courtesy of Frank Angel
1. ÓLAFUR ELIASSON'S BMW ART CAR: You're gonna have to trust us on this one: this object, which looks half-insect, half-igloo, is actually a car. Well, kinda. Designed by Danish-Icelandic artist Ólafur Eliasson for BMW's Art Car Project back in 2007, the car's exterior was removed by Eliasson and replaced with mesh, steel and ice. So cool.
Photo courtesy of BMW
2. BUGATTI VEYRON L'OR BLANC: There's more to this
Bugatti than meets the eye. (Though its design certainly is impressive; painstakingly painted by hand over the course of three weeks, this was no quick paint job.) Made in partnership with Belgium's Royal Porcelain Factory, the L'Or Blanc features porcelain inlays inside and out. Might wanna put a "FRAGILE" sticker on the hood...
Photo courtesy of Bugatti
3. JOHN LENNON'S ROLLS ROYCE PHANTOM V: Leave it to a Beatle to be the brains behind
this groovy ride. John Lennon's Rolls Royce was famously custom-painted brilliant yellow, and decorated with ornamental scrolls, flowers, and zodiac designs. Inside, it was outfitted with a bed, fridge, TV, record player, and other amenities. Baby, we can drive your car.
Photo courtesy of
Robert Todd
4. GEORGE HARRISON'S MINI COOPER S: When it came to design cars, George Harrison wasn't to be outdone. The quiet Beatle
also invested in a quirky (if less spacious) custom car of his own: a 1966 Mini Cooper S, to be exact, which Harrison had covered in vibrant designs and Sanskrit mantras. This one even had a starring role in the "Magical Mystery Tour" film. Take that, Phantom V.
Photo courtesy of
Jonathan Clapp/Flickr
5. CAPTAIN AMERICA CAR: You know those mugs with hidden designs that are revealed when you pour in hot water? Think of this as the car version of that. Painted by German artist
Rene Turrek, this Lamborghini looks normal in dry weather. But when warm water hits its surface, the design changes to reveal a large-scale portrait of Captain America. Drivers, assemble!
Photo courtesy of Rene Turrek
6. SHARPIE LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO: Most car owners would be
pretty upset if you busted out a permanent marker and started to scribble on their ride. But not the owner of this
Lamborghini Gallardo. He commissioned Miami street artist Jona Cerwinske to freehand draw all over this supercar. It could've gone wrong in lesser hands, but we gotta admit: This is a good look.
Photo courtesy of
James Scott S/Flickr
7. THE BURNING MAN DMV: First things first: this is like no DMV you've
ever been to. This, friends, is Burning Man's
Department of Mutant Vehicles. That name's no exaggeration: from cars shaped like giraffes, to vehicles that resemble deep-sea fish or dragons, Burning Man's playa is filled with the coolest design cars pretty much...ever.
Photo courtesy of
Bill Dimmick/Flickr
8. 1970S MCLAREN MP4-12C: The McLaren MP4-12C is already a supercar in its own right—it's one of the fastest (and spendiest) around. But this covetable car gets even more appealing when it's coated in a lick of paint...or twelve. This bespoke model was spray-painted in a rainbow of hues by
Hamann, a German car tuning company, and was supposedly inspired by the 1970s. Psychedelic, man.
Photo courtesy of Hamann
9. SPECIALLY WRAPPED ZIPCAR: Good news: You don't need to have a supercar budget or a mutant vehicle for a dose of cool car art. Nope. All you need is to keep up with Zipcar events in your city—like that time in Philly when street artist MOMO made a mural that became a
specially wrapped Zipcar.
Photo courtesy of Frank Angel
