The BMW M Hybrid V8 in Spider-Man livery at the IMSA race at Road America. The BMW M4 GT3, covered in Chinese mythological monsters at the FIA GT World Cup in Macau. Or the new fan favourite, the BMW M3 Touring 24H, in its Social Media livery featuring actual comments from social media posts. The liveries devised by BMW M Motorsport – often in collaboration with influential artists and designers – are surprising, diverse, original – and, above all, not just made for the fun of it. BMW M race cars compete in international motorsport events sporting these contemporary design creations on their bodywork. We’ll look at the ten most exciting BMW M liveries.
['lɪv.ə.ri]
The term livery, in motorsport, refers to the complete exterior design of a race car, comprising paintwork, wraps, colours, graphics, patterns, race numbers, logos and the visual branding of the team or sponsor. Beyond the racetrack, liveries can also be found on aeroplanes and in the world of gaming and simulations, where highly personalised designs are often featured.
BMW M1 IN MÜNCHENER WIRTHAUS LIVERY.
BMW M1 IN MÜNCHENER WIRTHAUS LIVERY.
First unveiled in the heart of Munich in front of the traditional Spatenhaus near the Opera House, the Wirtshaus livery on the BMW M1 became an instant classic in 1981. This unconventional ‘second skin’ was developed by the renowned designer Walter Maurer, who also contributed to the design of many BMW Art Cars.
The Wirtshaus design pays homage to the BMW home region and combines elements of classic Bavarian façade painting with braids in the regional colours of white and blue. Furthermore, the livery features numerous logos of traditional Bavarian beer halls and restaurants. At the time, it was the Munich beer hall keepers who made the car’s racing debut possible. Prince Leopold of Bavaria, Christian Danner and Peter Oberndorfer competed in the BMW M1 sporting the Wirtshaus livery at the 1981 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car later took part in the Le Mans Classic. To this day, it remains a highly sought-after exhibit at events and exhibitions.
SCHNITZER BMW M6 GT3.
SCHNITZER BMW M6 GT3.
In 2017, BMW Team Schnitzer returned to the Nordschleife after a six-year hiatus, fielding the BMW M6 GT3 there for the first time. The Schnitzer M6 GT3 lined up at the Nürburgring in a livery that paid homage to one of the team’s historic triumphs: 18 years earlier, Schnitzer had achieved its first major breakthrough at the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race, when Roberto Ravaglia, Emanuele Pirro (both ITA) and Fabien Giroix (FRA) crossed the finish line as winners in the BMW M3 E30. To commemorate this milestone, Schnitzer’s 2017 BMW M6 GT3 competed in the same livery as the legendary winning car from 1989.
The retro livery features the characteristic BMW M colours of light blue, dark blue and red, which run in diagonal stripes across the flanks and front of the M6 GT3.
Following its 1989 victory, BMW Team Schnitzer celebrated four more overall victories at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring: in 1991, 2004 and 2005 with the BMW M3 GTR, and finally in 2010 with the BMW M3 GT2. At the 2017 anniversary race, the team finished fourth overall in the #42 BMW M6 GT3.
SCHUBERT MOTORSPORT BMW M4 GT3 50 YEARS OF BMW M LIVERY.
SCHUBERT MOTORSPORT BMW M4 GT3 50 YEARS OF BMW M LIVERY.
In 2022, Schubert Motorsport entered its BMW M4 GT3, featuring an anniversary livery, in the Nürburgring 24-hour race. The design marked the 50th anniversary of BMW M and combines tradition with modernity: blue, red and purple from the founding year of 1972 were paired with the dynamic, modern design of current BMW M Motorsport liveries. The number 50, which glowed in the dark thanks to a special foil, and the BMW M logo highlighted the 50th anniversary of BMW M. As such, at the 50th edition of the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the BMW M4 GT3 wasn’t just a race car, but also a rolling symbol of five decades of BMW M in motorsport.
BMW M4 GT3 MANHUA DESIGN IN MACAU.
BMW M4 GT3 MANHUA DESIGN IN MACAU.
An epic race calls for an epic livery, the players must have thought. The result: Shell and the agency Jung von Matt collaborated to create a fiery red livery in the Chinese manhua style for Team WRT’s #31 BMW M4 GT3, while WRT decked out its #32 M4 GT3 in a black-and-gold manhua livery. Manhua are Chinese comics, which are usually fully coloured and are enjoying growing popularity on social media.
Sheldon van der Linde’s spectacular BMW M4 GT3, bearing start number 31, featured a fiery dragon and an energetic graphic design that stretched across the entire bodywork.
Team-mate Dries Vanthoor in the #32 BMW M4 GT3 raced in a two-tone livery featuring a dragon winding its way across a background that alternated between black and gold. The #31 M4 GT3 with the fire-breathing dragon ultimately secured a strong third place in Macau.
BMW M3 GTR FROM „NEED FOR SPEED™: MOST WANTED“.
BMW M3 GTR FROM „NEED FOR SPEED™: MOST WANTED“.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the classic game “Need for Speed™”, BMW M brought a digital icon from the virtual world into the real world in 2024. The BMW M3 GTR E46, which played the leading role in “Need for Speed™: Most Wanted” in 2005, was faithfully recreated by BMW M Motorsport in its eye-catching silver-and-blue livery.
And gamers had something to look forward to as well. The rolling legend made a comeback in the latest title from EA Games: in “Need for Speed™ Unbound Vol. 9: Prepare for Lockdown”, gamers can once again get behind the wheel of the M3 GTR E46.
In the real world, BMW M Motorsport entered the BMW M3 GTR onto the international racetrack in 20011 where BMW Team Schnitzer went on to win the American Le Mans Series with the car right in its very first season and secured further victories at the Nürburgring between 2003 and 2005. The M3 GTR Strassenversion – German for road version – required for homologation, also set new standards and was regarded as a road-legal race car.
BMW M HYBRID V8 x 50 YEARS OF BMW OF NORTH AMERICA.
BMW M HYBRID V8 x 50 YEARS OF BMW OF NORTH AMERICA.
At the 2025 Sebring 12-Hour Race, BMW M Motorsport entered the BMW M Hybrid V8 in a special livery celebrating 50 years of BMW of North America. The livery was more than just a visual highlight: it paid tribute to the brand’s early days in the USA and to the historic Sebring victory of the BMW 3.0 CSL in 1975. The 50th-anniversary livery incorporated the most important milestones in the brand’s North American success story, presented as a three-dimensional timeline that included the silhouette of the Sebring International Raceway. In this way, the LMDh race car was transformed into a rolling symbol of the anniversary.
BMW M4 GT3 EVO x HOMMAGE AN DAS ART CAR VON KEN DONE.
BMW M4 GT3 EVO x HOMMAGE AN DAS ART CAR VON KEN DONE.
At the 2026 Bathurst 12-Hour Race, BMW M once again succeeded in combining world-class motorsport with the legendary tradition of the BMW Art Cars: Team WRT competed in the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in a livery inspired by BMW Art Car No. 8 by the renowned Australian artist Ken Done.
In 1989, Done created a vibrant and colourful design for the BMW M3 E30, intended to capture the dynamism of motor racing and pay homage to the speed and power of the E30. The replica of this livery on the bodywork of the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO at the 12-hour race on the Mount Panorama Circuit not only paid tribute to Ken Done’s work, it was also part of the global celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the BMW Art Car collection.
BMW M3 TOURING 24H IN SOCIAL MEDIA LIVERY.
BMW M3 TOURING 24H IN SOCIAL MEDIA LIVERY.
An estate car on the Nordschleife? No joke. What began as an April Fool’s prank on social media, initiated by BMW M, became a reality as a highlight at the 2026 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. Two months earlier, the BMW M3 Touring 24H had been unveiled to the world for the first time – sporting a fitting livery.
The M3 Touring 24H subsequently sported this ‘Social Media’ livery at the preparatory racesfor the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. The livery got its name because many of the white elements on a black background depicted authentic user comments from social media referring to the April Fool’s joke.
BMW M3 TOURING 24H IN NÜRBURGRING 2026 LIVERY.
BMW M3 TOURING 24H IN NÜRBURGRING 2026 LIVERY.
Two months after the car was unveiled to the public, the moment of truth arrived: the BMW M3 Touring 24H entered the Nürburgring 24-hour race in the SPX class. To mark this legendary event, BMW M and Schubert Motorsport treated the car to a new livery.
The design is characterised by an asymmetrical colour scheme. Bold yellow at the rear contrasts with black at the front and is combined with stripes in the classic BMW M Motorsport colours of red, light blue and dark blue. Sporting this livery, the BMW M3 Touring 24H pulled off a surprise: this one-off race car secured fourth place overall at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring and even claimed victory in the SPX class.
BMW M HYBRID V8 IN “SPIDER-MAN-LIVERY”.
BMW M HYBRID V8 IN “SPIDER-MAN-LIVERY”.
Spider-Man™ is one of the world’s most popular superheroes; the films based on the Marvel Comics character attract millions of viewers of all ages worldwide. To mark the release of “Spider-Man™: Brand New Day”, BMW announced its partnership with Sony Pictures and Marvel entertainment.
In the third Spider-Man™ film with Tom Holland in the title role, the BMW 5 Series and the new BMW iX3 feature prominently in the plot. The vehicles do not merely serve as backdrop, but as an integral part of the storyline, thus underlining the commitment of BMW to combine innovation with cultural relevance.
Inspired by the movement, energy and kinetic dynamism of Spider-Man™, the collaboration has given rise to the
Spider-Man Livery, which Team WRT’s #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 will sport at the upcoming IMSA race at Road America. Bold yet agile in its design, BMW M Motorsport is highlighting the connection between motorsport, technology and pop culture with this livery.
