This year BMW marks 40 years of the BMW Art Car program with special exhibitions that will run in New York, Miami, and Shanghai. In May, a selection of these “rolling sculptures” appeared at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Lake Como. U.S. pop artists painted the earliest four cars, which were specifically intended to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans—arguably the most important endurance race in motorsports.

The first BMW Art Car created was Alexander Calder’s 3.2-liter, 480 hp, 3.0 CSL, commission…