In February, the iconic American artist Jeff Koons partnered with BMW to release his limited-to-99 take on the M850i Gran Coupé, dubbed “The 8 X Jeff Koons.” Now, the 99th example of the production run is heading to auction with Christie’s New York, and to mark the special occasion, it will also be the only example signed by the artist.
Koons is known for his dismantling of American consumerism and commentary on the visual excess that modern culture consumes and thrives upon. As a result, Americana-styled iconography in a pop art style adorns the art car, a design that reportedly takes hundred hours of professional paintwork per vehicle, and it also pays homage to Koons’ art car from 2010.
Naturally, the M850i Gran Coupé packs a 4.4-liter M TwinPower Turbo V8 with 523 HP and 553 lb-ft of torque, and is underpinned with an Adaptive M Suspension for sporty handling. 98 examples were available to customers — if they could wait, as only two examples were made per week — and each cost $350,000 USD.
Christie’s New York will hold the auction of the 99th artist signed iteration on April 4 at 8:30 p.m. EST online, where there will also be a live stream starting an hour before. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), a non-profit NGO that Jeff Koons has personally been involved with for over 20 years.
In other news, Maserati has unveiled the all-new Grecale.
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