A Brazil-only art car?

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While the beauty of many cars is universally acknowledged, the question of whether a car can be art will probably be forever contested. A lot of well-intentioned attempts have been made to do something artistic with cars. They have been illuminated and hung from plastered walls. They’ve been meticulously halved, impaled or simply exhibited, yet it has always felt somewhat, erm, artificial. 

In 1975 BMW famously entered a racing car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a multi-coloured livery. Unlike the corporate-liveried light blue and orange Gulf racers and the white Porsches with their blue and red Martini striping, this was considered to be art. American painter Alexander Calder was commissioned for the paint job. When Roy Liechtenstein, Andy Warhol and David Hockney followed with subsequent BMWs, the ‘Art Car’ became a household name. It was surely a gimmick, and after 15 BMW Art Cars the novelty was over by the late 1990s.

But in the footsteps of BMW’s creative collection, there was a whole steady stream of arty painted cars, whether or not by famous artists. By the time this car had been painted, the fashion for conceptual art had spread all round the world. Good God! We believe it to be a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia TC, as these were produced by Volkswagen do Brasil and sold on the local markets, but not officially to other continents. Almost certainly, then, this picture was taken in Brazil. Is that a beach or the sea in the background? The TC (Touring Coupé) was made between 1970 and 1975, which may well have been the period when this shot was made also. Is there anyone who knows more about it?

Words and photo by Jeroen Booij

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