Firstly, this is not a BMW Art Car. Secondly, I’m craving for spaghetti and meatballs. Before I order takeaway, I’m much obliged to tell you what's what.
The Rencontres d’Arles is the festival to attend if you’re into photography. The BMW i3 you are looking at was created by artist Maurizio Cattelan and, well, BMW is a partner of the festival. “Yes, that’s nice and all, but why does it read TOILETPAPER on the doors?”
That’s a good and awkward question. As it happens, Toilet Paper is a picture-based publication created by the Maurizio and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari.
Christened the BMW i3 Spaghetti Car, this cheeky little thing acts as a mobile piece of outdoor media. As a part of the “Hors Cadre / Out of Context” exhibition, the hunger-inducing electric vehicle won’t live a long life.
As per the artist's wish, the spaghetti-themed design will be destroyed after the Rencontres d’Arles festival ends on September 25. Be that as it may, Maurizio is chuffed to bits about his four-wheeled objet d’art: “I have been disappointed in my efforts to make a good spaghetti sauce since I started cooking 37 years ago. This is by far the best Spaghetti Car I have tasted! All those years of perfecting definitely paid off! Totally awesome!”
These said, BMW sort of “forgot” to mention if this is the 2017 BMW i3 or an early model. Nonetheless, I’m content to tell you that the 2017 model year starts at $44,595. For $1,200 more than its predecessor, the 2017 BMW i3 EV boasts 50 percent more capacity from its lithium-ion battery pack: 33 kWh versus 22 kWh. The extra capacity equals more range, which comes in handy to those that suffer from range anxiety.
According to the EPA, the 2017 BMW i3 is capable of traveling 114 miles (183 kilometers) on a full charge. It’s not much, to be brutally honest, but it’s a welcomed improvement over the older i3’s 81-mile (130-kilometer) range. That price, though, is still too much for what you get in return or compared to the Tesla Model 3.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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