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BMW says this isn't an Art Car, and we fully agree

The "what is art" debate is as old as cave drawings. Or maybe it's older. That's up for discussion, but BMW says the artiness of this spaghetti-monster i3 is not. BMW found it necessary to put out a press release explaining that this pasta-decorated i3 is not only not part of its Art Car series, but also that its creator, artist Maurizio Cattelan, no longer makes art. So it definitely can't be called art, excluding it from Art Car consideration. We weren't going to accidentally call it either, though. The wrapped electric car was created for the Recontres d'Arles photography exhibition in Arles, France. They're calling it a "Spaghetti Car." Uh huh. Some choice quotes from the release: "Lest there be any confusion, it must be officially clarified that what Maurizio Cattelan created is not an official BMW Art Car. The artist's design will be destroyed according to Cattelan's wishes sometime after Rencontres d'Arles." We hope that means the wrap gets torn off and burned. There's a perfectly good i3 underneath to salvage. "Maurizio Cattelan has still officially retired from 'art' since his 2011 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, although he only recently created a toilet bowl made of solid gold for the Upper East Side institution." See also: Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" for more discussion of art/not-art. Related Gallery BMW Art Cars It sounds like Cattelan struggles more with the definition of the word "definition" than with "art." Is the irony that there is art in calling something not art? This might just be too meta for us to get. Anyway, about the only useful part of the release is a reminder that the next Art Car will be based on an M6 GT3 and is due in late 2016 or early 2017. It's currently being worked on by two people who presently consider themselves artists, John Baldessari and Cao Fei. We trust it won't be covered in food. Related Video: Green BMW Electric bmw art car

The 2016 Pebble Beach Concept Lawn was nuts as always

The Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is like the smallest, most expensive car show you can imagine. A bunch of unobtanium concepts and almost-production models line an irregularly shaped putting green for people to stare at while on their way to see other, older insane cars. This year's crop was a particularly good one. We'll walk through the gallery above in order: That's a new Ford GT. Not quite a concept, but it's not in production yet, so we'll let it slide. Then there's the one-of-a-kind Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo that was recently bought by a Saudi Prince along with a matching Chiron. Next up is the Lamborghini Centenario Roadster, which was unveiled last week and is already sold out. This orange automobile is BMW's 2002 Hommage with its latest livery, a Jagermeister-themed affair called Turbomeister. This silver Infiniti, the Q80 Inspiration Concept, is an oldie but a goodie. It first appeared in Paris in 2014. The extremely long automobile after that is the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, which was unveiled in Monterey this year. The 6 in the name is because it's 6 meters, or about 18 feet, long. Most of that's the hood. Next we have the one-of-99 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato coupe, which continues to be beautiful. After that is a Fisker Karma with a V8, the VLF Destino. Thank you, Bob Lutz. The black sedan you see after that is the Cadillac Escala Concept, which also made its debut in Monterey this year. Then we have a Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge. Not a concept, but exclusive enough to join the others. Next is the McLaren 570GT customized by MSO that arrived for Pebble 2016. It has special design touches plus an electrochromic panel to replace the normal glass roof. The light blue car is the Genesis New York concept. The name didn't change even though it was in Monterey. Then we have the large and in charge Lincoln Navigator concept, taking up two regulation concept spots. The red car with suicide doors is Acura's Precision Concept, which we first saw at the Detroit show this year. Another non-concept, the Lexus LC 500h at least looks futuristic enough to be a show-specific car. And here's a 2017 Maserati Quattroporte, which is definitely not a concept. A Bentley Mulsanne EWB, because why not? It's not available in the US, so that almost qualifies for concept status. Then there's a reproduction Lister Knobbly, which we could stare at all day.

Apple and BMW have been exploring partnerships on cars

Apple and BMW may eventually have more in common than just some features in your car's infotainment system. Sources for both Reuters and Manager Magazin understand that the two companies have had "exploratory talks," including a trip by Apple executives to Leipzig to see how BMW builds the i3. Apple reportedly likes that BMW rethought the conventional car manufacturing process for its electric vehicle, and might use what it learned to help make its own EV. While BMW claims that there aren't any active talks about jointly developing a car, a Reuters tipster hears that the firms may revive talks (not necessarily to co-produce a vehicle) later on. Not surprisingly, BMW is cautious about any deals. Research lead Klaus Froehlich says the doesn't want to "open [its] ecosystems" to a potential rival. However, it's hard to see the two avoiding each other when they could both use each other's help. Apple knows a lot about user interfaces and integrating mobile technology into cars, but it's a newcomer in creating the cars themselves – that's part of why it's hiring so many auto industry veterans. Meanwhile, BMW knows that it can only do so much to accommodate connected devices without collaborations. You probably won't see an Apple-designed Beemer or an Apple car with loads of BMW-sourced parts, but there's still lots of potential for the corporations to influence each other. This article by Jon Fingas originally ran on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life. Related Video: