BMW Walter Maurer C87 Group C | 1987

Startpreis CHF 3'000'000.00

Walter Maurer is a German artist. At the beginning of the 1970s, Walter Maurer also caught theinterest of the German car brand BMW, which invited him to collaborate as a co-artist on the BMW Art Car projects. As a result, Walter Maurer began collaborating with various international artists, which later led to the legendary BMW Art Cars. As co-artist, Walter Maurer played a major role in the creation of the BMW Art Cars by Alexander Calder (1975), Frank Stella (1976), Roy Lichtenstein (1977), Andy Warhol (1979), Ernst Fuchs (1982) and César Manrique (1990).


In 1987 Walter Maurer commissioned the unique Walter Maurer C87 Group C Sports Prototypeoffered here. From an art point of view, the blue Walter Maurer art car combines the influence of Roy Lichtenstein and Yayoi Kusama.


Based on Walter Maurer’s good connection to BMW, the German car manufacturer supplied a suitable engine and transmission package for Maurer’s new C2-class sports racer. It was the latest in a series of one-Maurer sports racers that had begun back in 1982 with the MM-83 spider. A Lotec chassis was used for this ambitious new project. The engineer Rüdiger Faul, who had worked on the Sauber Mercedes Group C cars, has been responsible for the body aerodynamics. Once the design had been finalized, the Dornier Aerospace company constructed the body (Dornier’s molds still exist). The unique artwork was, of course, the work of Walter Maurer himself, incorporating his signature and ‘1/1’ designation.


Developed under the supervision of Paul Rosche, the turbocharged BMW M12 four-cylinder engine displaced 2.0 liters and could deliver 1,350bhp in qualifying trim with the boost at maximum. BMW had plenty of experience using this type of engine in Formula 1, supplying the World Championship-winning Brabham team, though the Maurer C87's engine and transmission are unique to this car.


Entered by Maurer Design, C87 ‘01’ made its competitive debut at the Norisring Supercup event on 26 th June 1988 driven by Walter. A further five races were entered that season, with Maurer being partnered with co-drivers Helmut Gall and Edgar Dören in longer events, the best result being a 10th-place finish at the Sandown 300km in Australia in November. Six races were entered in 1989, resulting in two finishes: 12th at the Supercup Norisring in June and 19th at the Supercup Nürburgring in September 1989.


The current vendor is a motorsports enthusiast and art collector, so the Mauer C87 art car combined all his interests perfectly. He acquired the Maurer art car ten years ago; the car is race-ready and in good condition. The car comes with two magazine articles featuring the C87 and Maurer’s other automotive projects.


The original idea was to bring the Walter Maurer C87 Prototype back to the racetrack. Today, thevendor prefers to keep the car safely and in good condition. Therefore, he plans to choose another car to return to the racetrack.