BMW THE 8 X JEFF KOONS
Explore BMW THE 8 X JEFF KOONS: rarity, history, specifications, FAQs and credited photos.
THE 8 X JEFF KOONS turned the BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupé into a 99-car artist-designed customer edition in 2022. Its comic-inspired graphics and vivid cabin distinguish it from both a conventional Individual commission and the single racing Art Car Koons created in 2010.
Record: BMW-125 · Artist-designed customer edition · Germany · 2022.
Specifications and rarity
| Item | Documented reference and scope |
|---|---|
| Count and scope | 99 worldwide; charity-auction car included |
| Base model | M850i xDrive Gran Coupé; four-door G16 |
| Debut | Frieze Los Angeles, February 2022 |
| Design | Eleven exterior colours; comic-inspired graphics |
| Cabin | Red and blue seats; signed edition treatment |
| Authentication | VIN-linked certificate signed by Jeff Koons and BMW chairman |
Origins and history
The body is important to the identity: this is the four-door G16 Gran Coupé, not the two-door G15 listed in the workbook. The name’s reference to the 8 Series should not obscure that distinction. The factory account ties the edition to Frieze Los Angeles and a later New York presentation, placing a road-going customer car within an art-event setting.
Design and engineering
Eleven exterior colours carry motion across the body, while red and blue seating continues the visual energy inside. The graphics invite the viewer to read the car as a moving image rather than a static luxury object. Koons’ signature and the edition treatment connect that imagery to the artist’s authorship.
The underlying M850i xDrive remains a production-derived luxury Gran Coupé. Its engine architecture does not become unique merely because the body carries art. The intensive paint process is the distinctive manufacturing story, supported by a VIN-linked certificate signed by Koons and BMW’s chairman. That documentation makes the relationship between a particular vehicle and the artistic edition unusually explicit.
Why this BMW matters
The edition extends the idea of an artist-designed BMW beyond a single museum or racing original. Ninety-nine customers could encounter the same artwork through a usable four-door car, with variation in ownership history rather than a different artist commission for each example.
Its visual language also offers a useful comparison with Koons’ earlier M3 GT2 Art Car. That earlier work belongs to the racing Art Car collection; this programme is a customer edition with a separate count and purpose. Their relationship enriches the history without making them duplicates. The car sold for charity in New York was one of the ninety-nine, so the auction does not create a hundredth vehicle.
Identity and original specification
Authentication should connect the factory build, VIN and signed certificate. Examine the paint and cabin against the original edition configuration and preserve any repair or restoration records. A wrapped standard Gran Coupé might reproduce the graphic impression without carrying the factory process or artist-linked documentation.
Photo credit and artwork credit serve different purposes. The included images retain their source photograph attribution, while Jeff Koons is credited for the car’s design. Owning or crediting a photograph does not transfer rights to the underlying artwork. The record therefore keeps authorship visible alongside the image’s stated press-use terms rather than treating the artist’s name as the photographer.
Frequently asked questions
How rare is the THE 8 X JEFF KOONS?
The edition comprises 99 worldwide. The New York charity-auction vehicle was drawn from that run and is not an additional hundredth example.
What makes this version different?
Koons’ exterior graphics, eleven-colour palette and vivid interior form an integrated artwork on a factory customer vehicle.
Which year belongs in the vehicle record?
Use 2022, when the edition premiered around Frieze Los Angeles. Later exhibitions belong to its appearance history.
Is it the same as other similarly named BMWs?
It is a G16 M850i Gran Coupé edition, distinct from Koons’ 2010 racing M3 Art Car and from a G15 two-door 8 Series.
How should an example be authenticated?
Match the VIN, factory records and signed authenticity certificate, then reconcile the original painted design and cabin with restoration history.
What do the photographs show?
The images show the actual Koons Gran Coupé edition. Jeff Koons is credited for design separately from the supplied photograph credit.
Explore related verified BMW profiles
- BMW M1 Art Car — Andy Warhol, 1979
- BMW M2 by FUTURA 2000 — Three Artist Originals
- BMW M3 Edition 50 Jahre BMW M — North America
Sources and photo credits
Photo: BMW Group / BMW Group PressClub · Press/editorial use only. BMW-supplied press photograph under BMW PressClub terms. Vehicle artwork/design: Jeff Koons, 2022. Original supplied photograph retained without local cropping or content alteration.
Photo: BMW Group / BMW Group PressClub · Press/editorial use only. BMW-supplied press photograph under BMW PressClub terms. Vehicle artwork/design: Jeff Koons, 2022. Original supplied photograph retained without local cropping or content alteration.
Why this machine matters
Photo credit and artwork credit serve different purposes. The included images retain their source photograph attribution, while Jeff Koons is credited for the car’s design. Owning or crediting a photograph does not transfer rights to the underlying artwork. The record therefore keeps authorship visible alongside the image’s stated press-use terms rather than treating the artist’s name as the photographer.
Built in limited numbers
99 worldwide; charity-auction car included
Gallery
Specifications
Factory specifications may vary by model year, market and configuration.
Identity & production
- Official model
- BMW THE 8 X JEFF KOONS
- Base model
- 8 Series
- Worldwide production
- 99
